Protesters stand outside the Supreme Court in London, Wednesday, November 15, 2023. Britain's highest court is set to rule Wednesday, Nov. 15 on whether the government's plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda is legal. (AP)

Provisional data from the Home Office, or interior ministry, revealed today that as of March 26 this year 4,644 asylum seekers had been detected as arriving in the UK from across the Channel on small boats like inflatable dinghies.

3,770 asylum seekers were detected in the same period last year, and 4,162 in 2022.

Last week, a Home Office spokesperson said, "The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible."

"We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys," the spokesperson added.

Labour's immigration spokesperson, Stephen Kinnock also previously said "Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Rishi Sunak keeps on telling the British people that small boat arrivals are coming down and his promise to stop the boats remains on track."

UK resolution to deport migrants to Rwanda delayed until after Easter

The Guardian reported on March 15, citing insider sources, that the UK government is considering postponing the Rwanda Deportation Bill until after Easter. Such a move is likely to provoke anger among Conservative members.

The scheduled second exchange of the bill between the upper and lower houses of the UK parliament was set for March 25 and 26, just before the three-week Easter recess. However, according to the sources cited, it has now been removed from the agenda.

"They've basically said to us we won't see it again until after Easter," a Labour source was quoted as saying.

This means that the controversial bill is unlikely to become law before mid-April, The Guardian said.

The delay is expected to frustrate Conservative lawmakers who have been dissatisfied with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's handling of illegal migration.