Because legal ones would apply for asylum in the first SAFE country they enter.
How do you "process" a claim by somebody who is undocumented having ditched them on their journy?
If they are legal why do they not come in by ferry, it's much cheaper and safer than a seat in an overloaded rubber dinghy
There is so much wrong with your understanding of the subject that I don't quite know where to start, but breaking it down into 3 parts:
1. Asylum seekers are under no obligation to claim asylum in the first country they pass through. In fact, if that was the case the UK would likely take no refugees. As it is, the UK takes a fraction of the numbers that other European countries process.
https://freemovement.org.uk/are-ref...-asylum-in-the-first-safe-country-they-reach/
2. Most (not all, by any means) refugees taking these routes do not 'ditch' their ID docs. They will have fled from countries without documents, often having to escape that countries borders or risk persecution or death. They will be leaving war zones and unimaginable conditions. They often cannot try and seek documentation from their own Government and cannot seek asylum within 'safe' embassies or consoles.
3. Not understanding the difference between legal and illegal immigration is a pillar of the xRW trope.
A migrant, whether travelling by small boat or ferry is not 'illegal' until they have been processed and deemed to be so. That is why the effort has to be focused on establishing processing centres within Europe.
https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/refugee-asylum-facts/the-truth-about-asylum/#:~:text=There is no such thing,authorities have assessed their claim.
Those without documentation cannot get ferries as the operators are responsible for only carrying documented pax.
That is the reason why this Government appears (hopefully) to be pursuing the policy of establishing processing centres in France and other European countries - creating the safe routes that 14 years of the previous Government deliberately avoided.
Finally, it is only the xRW elements of politics and media that focus on the small boats issue as a 'crisis'
Yes, the loss of life is a human tragedy and incorporates a disgusting criminality on the part of the traffickers, but the numbers are miniscule in comparison with the total immigration figures, at less than 5%.
To enhance knowledge of the issue this would be a good starting point:
https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac....-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/