Illegal immigrants who attempt to enter the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats should be deported to an offshore processing centre within 48 hours, a British Conservative think tank has proposed. In its latest report (pdf) published on Feb. 16, the London-based Policy Exchange think tank said the “most obviously suitable” location for such processing centres is Ascension Island, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean that is 4,000 miles away from the UK. Other proposed locations include Alderney in the Channel Islands and Britain’s Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus. Last year, 28,381 illegal immigrants arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in small boats, more than tripling the number of arrivals of the previous year. The think tank said “the most appropriate way” to reduce illegal Channel crossings is what it calls “Plan A,” under which authorised British vessels intercept the boats at …