英国自2022年7月引入非法入境罪以来，已有1,109人因此被起诉[1]。根据信息自由数据，其中628人是通过乘坐小船抵达英国的[1]，而这些案件中仅有12人因单独操纵充气艇罪名被定罪[1]。
这些起诉涉及广泛的被告人群体，包括贩运受害者和刑讯逼供幸存者[1]。至少30名年龄存在争议的儿童遭到定罪，其中19人曾在成人监狱中服刑[1]。其中一名来自南苏丹的贩运幸存者被迫持枪操纵小船[1]，这一事件随后促使英国官方在司法审查压力下同意加强对贩运受害者的保护[1]。
研究员Victoria Taylor批评了这些起诉的处理方式，称"这些起诉的过程是武断和残酷的"[1]，并指出"没有证据支持政府声称这些起诉将'阻止'人们尝试越过英吉利海峡的说法"[1]。
Since July 2022, when the UK introduced offences specifically targeting illegal entry, authorities have prosecuted 1,109 individuals, according to Freedom of Information data [1]. Among those charged, 628 arrived by small boat, with 296 of these cases documented through drone surveillance footage showing individuals operating inflatable dinghies [1]. However, only 12 people have been convicted solely on charges related to operating the vessels [1].
The prosecutions have ensnared vulnerable groups alongside smugglers. At least 30 children of disputed age have been convicted, with 19 of them having served time in adult prisons [1]. In one documented case, a trafficking survivor from South Sudan was compelled to steer a boat while armed; following judicial review, UK officials agreed to strengthen protections for trafficking victims [1]. These cases have drawn criticism from researchers, with Victoria Taylor stating that "the process of these prosecutions is arbitrary and cruel" and that "there is no evidence to support the government's claim that these prosecutions will 'deter' people from attempting to cross the English Channel" [1].