AN ILLEGAL migrant boasted on TikTok of crossing the Channel by dinghy, saying: “Tell your friends to come.”
The man racked up nearly a million views with a step-by-step guide to crossing the Channel on a small boat — and then told others to follow him as he revelled in his taxpayer-funded asylum hotel.
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Known as Alexandra420, he said his wish had come true and that this was “the best place” during a TikTok livestream at his free accommodation near Heathrow.
His taunts come as figures reveal 50,271 people have crossed in a small boat since Labour and Sir Keir Starmer took office last year.
Last night Reform leader Nigel Farage MP told The Sun: “This is yet another total humiliation for our country.
“The Prime Minister’s soft-touch approach and refusal to address the root cause of illegal Channel crossings has turned the UK into a global laughing stock.”
READ MORE ON ILLEGAL MIGRANTS
TikTok influencer Alexandra, who has 70,000 followers, left Calais in a dinghy at around 4am on Saturday.
His first video was a 13-second clip from the middle of the Channel, showing a French lifeboat alongside his dinghy, which was full of fellow migrants.
The next clip showed him grinning in an orange life jacket and pointing to the sky.
A third video, bizarrely set to the theme tune of US TV drama Prison Break, showed the vessel surrounded by massive freight ships, while in a fourth he dipped his designer trainers in the water.
He was one of 435 arrivals on Saturday, and was taken in by Border Force officials to be processed at Manston, Kent. He was then bussed to the four-star Crowne Plaza hotel in West Drayton, near Heathrow.
The migrant, thought to be from Afghanistan, treats TikTok viewers to a tour of his room, which had two single beds and a double plus an en-suite bathroom. He also shows them the view from his window.
Triumphing in his good fortune, he said: “This is dedicated to those haters who were happy thinking we either drowned or ended up dead.”
In a later livestream he claimed their boat began to deflate halfway through the crossing and could have capsized if Border Force officials had not rescued them.
He said: “It was dangerous. Our boat sank. It was punctured. The water came from the inside of the boat.
“On the other side, three people pumped the water. If the British boats hadn’t come in an hour, we would have been in trouble.”
Those who want to come, this is the best place
TikTok influencer Alexandra
He then encouraged others to pay thousands to people-smugglers to make the same perilous journey.
He ranted: “I risked my life, I spent my money, I came. Your country is not your mother.
“Those who want to come, this is the best place. Don’t be stingy. Your country is not your father, that you are so stingy. Live your life.
“Tell your four friends to come. Why are you so stingy? Being stingy is not good for God. You see, I risked my life! Why don’t you come? My wish was to come to this hotel and live. I came here just for this.”
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He also revealed how he beat warnings of deportation, claiming he had been told by UK officials: “If I send you to France, you won’t have any problem.”
But he replied: “I will commit suicide.” He went on: “I just said it, and he got angry. I told them, and right there, I swore an oath.”
Spinning on his chair with his arms in the air, he then shouted: “Welcome to London!”
It’s disgraceful that illegal immigrants are saying it’s their dream to be put up in a hotel
Chris Philp
In total, the migrant posted eight videos before taking part in a live Q&A with his followers in the Afghan dialect Pashto.
His viewers appeared to include other asylum seekers in different hotels across the country.
One told the host, who flashed his purple room key card, that the Crowne Plaza was “a nice place”.
The videos had a combined 870,000 views before being taken down during a second livestream when The Sun alerted TikTok.
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Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted: “It is disgraceful that illegal immigrants are saying it is their dream to be put up in a hotel, all paid for by the British taxpayer.
“This is a sick joke. Anyone coming to the UK illegally must be swiftly deported.”
Dozens of migrants have made social media posts celebrating their arrival in the UK.
The Heathrow Crowne Plaza used to cost guests £120 a night — but has been housing migrants for more than four years, and has an 8ft security fence.
Facilities include a luxury swimming pool with steam room and sauna, gym, an Irish bar, two large restaurants and a theatre.
More illegal arrivals were brought in on packed buses yesterday alongside vans delivering food.
One Afghan man told The Sun: “I came to Britain a few days ago on a boat from France. This hotel is nice and we get fed and given clothes. Life is nice here so far.”
A TikTok spokeswoman said it has a zero-tolerance approach to content promoting people-smuggling.
A Home Office spokeswoman said it is unacceptable “to promote the criminal services of people-traffickers or for social media companies to allow it”.
Laws are being brought in to make it easier to prosecute, she added.
