🚨Hotel numbers halved. That’s the headline. The rest doesn’t hold up. 16,021 people in hotels at end of June 2026 — down 50% from 32,041. True. They were moved into houses, flats and HMOs. About 69,000 now live in communities. Total on asylum support is still around 93,000. The hotels closed. The people didn’t leave. “Asylum backlog down” only covers initial decisions (around 40,000). The appeals backlog hit a record 87,450 cases by March 2026 — up 70% in a year, covering roughly 114,000 people waiting an average 67 weeks. Faster refusals just shifted the queue into the courts. The overall caseload is not cleared. The 80,286 “returns and deportations” since July 2024 mix enforced removals with voluntary departures. Only 19,622 were enforced. Only 11,733 were foreign national offenders. Only 6,103 were small-boat arrivals — 7.6% of the ~81,000 who crossed since the election. Most of the 80k figure is not forced removal of Channel arrivals. Small boats are down in 2026. They are not low. The fall tracks a wider drop in irregular arrivals into the EU. The France returns deal sent back about 1,100 people. Illegal working arrests *are* up. That claim stands. However less than 3% are detained rest are bailed. Hotel use fell because people were dispersed into towns and villages, not because the system is under control. Initial decisions sped up; appeals exploded. The 80k returns number is not 80k deportations of recent illegal arrivals. Sources gov.uk/government/pub… bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… lbc.co.uk/article/asylum… itv.com/news/2026-08-2… express.co.uk/news/politics/… refugeecouncil.org.uk/press-…… migrationobservatory.ox.ac.u…… telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08……