British rescue boats were sent to collect the migrants, who had been at sea for more than 33 hours/PA via BBC
A total of 51 migrants have arrived in Dover on a small boat after spending more than 30 hours at sea.
The arrival at 00:30 BST came after hundreds of protesters gathered in the Hampshire town of Gosport on Tuesday evening as it was initially believed this was where they would be brought ashore.
The boat left the Normandy coast on Monday morning and the French coastguard, which shadowed it, said the migrants were in "precarious conditions" and refused help as they were "determined to take all risks to reach" the UK.
British rescue boats were sent to collect those on board, who were then transferred to Border Security Command.
A government spokesperson said Border Security Command worked "around the clock to protect our border and will continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival".
The French coastguard said the migrants had been on the small boat for more than 33 hours.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) said it was tasked by HM Coastguard with assisting the people on board "out of concern for their safety and deteriorating health".
Migrants could later be seen disembarking in Dover wearing orange life jackets and carrying personal belongings.
Kent Police said about 20 people took part in a protest at the town's port, with officers blocking off a nearby road.
No arrests were made, it added.
Anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, shared a YouTube video of the boat from the Channel, which was live streamed to an audience of more than 15,000 people.
Police said they are currently investigating part of the footage which appears to show him slashing at the inflatable vessel with a knife.
There were no migrants on board at the time of the incident, as they had already been picked up by the RNLI lifeboats.
It was initially expected the people on the boat would be taken to the Portsmouth area after local MP Dame Caroline Dinenage said the Home Office had said this was "increasingly likely".
Hundreds of anti-migrant protesters, surrounded by police, gathered near Gosport marina on Tuesday evening after the initial reports.
A number of men wearing black, several with face coverings, were at the front of the crowd. Some were chanting "send them back".
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary said six people were arrested after protesters "became hostile towards officers".
Two Salisbury men, 19 and 36, were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
A 67-year-old man from Gosport was arrested on suspicion of careless driving and assault of an emergency worker.
Two women, 32 and 31, and a 33-year-old man, all from Gosport, were arrested on suspicion of assault of an emergency worker.
"They remain in custody at this time and our inquiries into these incidents continue," the force said.
The migrant dinghy appeared to have set off from close to the village of Vierville-sur-Mer, west of Bayeux.
It is rare to see small boat crossings depart from so far west.
Earlier this month, a dinghy was met by lifeboats from the Isle of Wight having set off from the Cherbourg area, triggering protests in Portsmouth.
It is thought to have made one of the longest journeys of any small boat in the Channel. Officials said at the time they believed it was a one-off rather than a sign of new tactics.
On Monday, some 17,480 migrants had arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel by boat so far this year.
That total was 46% down from the same time last year.
The National Crime Agency recently said the reduction was down to law enforcement activity, though one expert said other factors, such as improving security in Syria, may also be behind the decline.
Many migrants come from some of the poorest and most chaotic parts of the world.
They almost always ask to claim asylum once they are picked up by the UK authorities.
On Tuesday, defence minister Luke Pollard insisted the UK's borders were secure after a migrant boat reached the Kent coast without being intercepted.
Five people were detained and passed to Border Security Command after the dinghy made it to shore at Folkestone on Monday - the first undetected landing for a year.
