Two Border Force boats are being recalled from overseas to patrol the English Channel as the government responds to the migrant crisis.
Home secretary Sajid Javid made the announcement on Monday after a group of 12 migrants, including a 10-year-old child, were detained after landing on a Kent beach.
Nearly 100 migrants have made the crossing over the Channel over the Christmas period.
Speaking after a meeting with senior officials from the National Crime Agency and Border Force, Mr Javid said at the Home Office in London: "I have made a decision today to redeploy two of the Border Force's largest vessels - known as cutters - from abroad back to the UK, to south-east England.
"They will be joining a cutter that is already there, and two other coastal patrol vessels.
"This will help both with the human side of this situation but also to better protect our borders."
Mr Javid added: "This incident around the Channel remains a very serious concern to me, that's why I declared it as a major incident a few days ago.
"It's both about protecting human life but also about protecting our borders.
"When it comes to human life, clearly I want to make sure that we are doing all we can to protect people.
"We must remember that this is one of the most treacherous stretches of water that there is, 21 miles with people taking grave risk, really putting their lives into their own hands by taking this journey."
The home secretary said that as well as deploying the cutters, efforts were being stepped up to tackle people traffickers, and to return migrants who reach England back to France.
"I wish there was one single answer but it does require action on many fronts," he said.
In a message to would-be migrants, he added: "We will do everything we can to make sure it is not a success, in the sense that I don't want people to think that if they leave a safe country like France they can get to Britain and then just get to stay.
"That's why I am working out ways with the French to increase the number of returns that we can make to also send a very strong message that we will do all we can not just to protect human lives - of course that's the right and responsible thing to do at all times - but also to protect our borders."
