A man has been charged with with endangering others during a sea crossing to Britain.
Aman Naseri is due to appear at Margate Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday following the alleged offence on January 5, a HM Courts and Tribunals spokesperson said.
The 18-year-old is also accused of entering the UK without valid entry clearance, the spokesperson added.
Naseri’s scheduled court appearance comes as 32 migrants made the journey in one boat arriving in the UK on Monday amid freezing temperatures, becoming the first to arrive in 2026 by small boat.
The case is understood to be the first of its kind in the UK under newly-introduced border security legislation introduced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
According to the Home Office, the charge of endangering others during a sea crossing is to stop more people being crammed into unsafe boats and would apply to those involved in physical aggression and intimidation, as well as anyone who resists rescue.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 came into law last month.
Labour’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The case is understood to be the first of its kind in the UK and comes after new border security legislation was introduced by the government
Migrants being brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel on Monday. File photo
The act creates a framework of new, enhanced powers and offences to improve UK border security and to strengthen the asylum and immigration system.
It is designed to deter irregular migration to the UK and reduce small boat crossings and loss of life in the Channel through the provision of new powers and data-sharing arrangements.
The law will also strengthen the UK’s wider immigration and asylum system, protect it against abuse, and rebuild public confidence in the UK migration and borders system.
On top of this, the law has also introduced new powers for enforcement agencies to crack down on people smuggling gangs, including to seize mobile phones and sim cards from migrants without arresting them from Monday to gather intelligence.
Monday, January 5, marked the first day prosecutors in England and Wales were able to charge offenders under the new law.
Sarah Dineley from the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘Organised immigration crime causes untold misery and is a serious risk to life for those desperate enough to make these crossings.
‘Thanks to these new offences we now have at our disposal, we can work with our law enforcement colleagues to bring offenders to justice.
‘Prosecutions disrupt the running of these criminal business models and sends out a clear message to those involved that they risk imprisonment.
‘Once our prosecutors have sufficient evidence from law enforcement agencies and it’s in the public interest we won’t hesitate to charge suspects and take them to court.’
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris said: ‘We promised to restore order and control to our borders which means taking on the people smuggling networks behind this deadly trade.
‘That is exactly why we are implementing robust new laws with powerful offences to intercept, disrupt and dismantle these vile gangs faster than ever before and cut off their supply chains.
‘These operational measures sit alongside sweeping reforms to the system, to make it less attractive for migrants to come here illegally and remove and deport people faster.’
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Man, 18, is charged with endangering others during sea crossing to Britain in first case of its kind under new border security legislation