New measures to limit the arrival of asylum seekers by small boats

More than 5,700 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain since the new Labour government was appointed on July 5

By: Pramod Thomas

The government announced new measures on Wednesday (21) to tackle the large numbers of asylum seekers arriving illegally on small boats from France.

It said 100 “new specialist intelligence and investigation officers” would be recruited to the National Crime Agency (NCA) to help dismantle smuggling gangs operating the dangerous border crossings.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the government aims to achieve the highest number of deportations of rejected asylum seekers in five years in the next six months.

Polls show that controlling immigration is the most important issue for British voters for the first time in eight years, following far-right riots targeting Muslims and migrants that began after the murder of three girls in the north-west English town of Southport.

During the riots, people tried to set fire to a hotel in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where asylum seekers were staying.

The Labour government, which won last month’s election, plans to increase detention capacity at deportation centres and punish employers who hire people who have no right to work in the country, the Home Office said.

“We are taking strong and clear steps to improve our border security and ensure the rules are followed and enforced,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement.

Within days of taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped a controversial plan to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, a key policy of the last Conservative government.

Starmer, on the other hand, has promised to dismantle the people-smuggling gangs that organise the crossings and who receive thousands of euros per migrant.

The Ministry of the Interior is looking for a so-called border control commander who will cooperate with European countries in the fight against human traffickers.

Starmer has also pledged to French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen “cooperation” in tackling the rise in the number of undocumented migrants.

According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, more than 200 people crossed the Channel in three boats on Monday (19), bringing the provisional total for the year so far to 19,294.

This is a 10 percent increase compared to last year’s number of border crossings, which stood at 17,620. However, it is a decrease compared to the 21,344 border crossings recorded in the same period in 2022.

More than 5,700 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain in boats crossing the Channel from France since the new Labour government took office on 5 July, underscoring the challenge facing ministers who have vowed to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the NCA is conducting approximately 70 investigations into criminal networks involved in human trafficking.

It was said that the government would impose fines, close businesses and prosecute anyone who employs illegal workers.

The ministry also said 290 beds were added to two deportation centres and staff were being redeployed to try to deport rejected asylum seekers at the fastest pace since 2018. The ministry did not provide figures on the numbers involved.

(Agencies)