Latest news with #illegalMigration
BBC News
5 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Suspected people-smuggling gang arrested in nationwide crackdown
Six people suspected to be part of a people-smuggling gang supplying fake identities to illegal migrants have been Home Office said that five men and one women were arrested in dawn raids on Tuesday in Cheltenham, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and lead suspect, a 37-year-old Botswana national, was arrested in Cheltenham on suspicion of assisting and planning the illegal entry of more than 200 migrants from Botswana into the Home Office said the suspects are thought to be involved in a criminal network exploiting vulnerable people by making them work in the care sector without proper training. Chief immigration officer Mick Wilson said it was thought the gang had brought up to 200 people into the country illegally over the last two years."Our objective is to arrest those who are involved, who were making money out of the facilitation, and also providing them with false documents and false identities," he in the country, it is believed the suspected gang submitted false asylum claims using fake are also believed to have helped migrants get jobs in care homes, despite them not having adequate training. As well as the man arrested in Cheltenham, a British man aged 36 was detained in Sheffield, a 33-year-old woman in Oldham and another man, aged 46, in further men, aged 39 and 50, were arrested in Swinton and Nottingham suspects were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to help asylum seekers enter the UK, and conspiracy to breach UK immigration law. The arrests come as part of the Labour government's Plan for Change, which was launched to target people-smuggling Minister Dan Jarvis said: "This operation demonstrates that we will use the full force of the law against those who facilitate illegal entry into the UK for exploitation."Immigration enforcement criminal and financial investigation inspector Phillip Parr said: "There is no place for those who profit from human misery, and we will continue to use all available powers to pursue and prosecute those involved in these despicable crimes."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sir Keir Starmer has 'lost control of Britain's borders' after almost 1,200 small boat migrants cross the Channel in single day
Almost 1,200 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK in a single day - as one of Sir Keir Starmer 's ministers said control of Britain's borders had been lost. The Prime Minister faced criticism over what was called a 'day of shame' as a surge in dinghy crossings overwhelmed French and UK border patrol vessels. At Gravelines in northern France, more than half a dozen French police officers simply stood by yesterday morning and watched as migrants waded into the sea and scrambled on to an inflatable boat. One officer even took pictures on his phone before the packed boat headed out to sea towards the English coast. And today one of Sir Keir's senior cabinet ministers admitted the scenes were 'pretty shocking' as he said the UK had 'lost control of its borders over the last five years'. Defence Secretary John Healey this morning told Sky News that the latest crossings revealed a 'really big problem' - but insisted there was pressure being put on France for better co-operation and crackdowns ahead. Britain had agreed a deal in 2023 to pay France £480million over three years to stop the crossings, including £175million in the current financial year – more than £480,000 per day. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded the latest Channel scenes 'a disgrace but sadly entirely expected'. He added: 'It's a shameful failure by the French to discharge their duties to stop illegal migration. The French are failing to stop these crossings by illegal immigrants.' And he condemned Sir Keir over what he called a 'day of shame for the Labour Government'. Mr Philp added: 'Over a thousand illegal immigrants in a single day, boats flooding the Channel, Border Force stretched beyond breaking point, and even fishing vessels drafted in because our maritime rescue services are overwhelmed.' And Richard Tice MP, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'It looks like we pay hundreds of millions to give French police officers photography lessons because they are certainly not providing any security. 'Frankly, the Government should be suing the French for our money back.' At least 18 migrant boats were seen leaving the French coast yesterday, carrying more than 1,000 people - with the Telegraph today putting the figure at 1,200. That exceeds the previous daily record of 825, set earlier last month. Mr Healey today told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News: 'Pretty shocking, those scenes yesterday. 'The truth is, Britain's lost control of its borders over the last five years. The last government last year left an asylum system in chaos and record levels of immigration. 'But I think that yesterday tells us a really big problem which is that you've got French police unable to intervene to intervene and intercept the boats when they are in shallow water. 'We saw the smugglers launching elsewhere and coming round like a taxi to pick them up.' Mr Healey insisted there was 'new co-operation' with the French suggesting their officials would intervene in the water. When asked whether he was 'hacked off' with France for not doing so now, Mr Healey said: 'They are not doing it, but we've got the agreement that they will change the way they work. 'Our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore.' British and French rescue services were yesterday forced to deploy 11 vessels and two aircraft. And at one point the coastguard even issued an appeal for fishing boats to assist a yacht and kayaks in trouble because all lifeboats and Border Force vessels were too busy rescuing migrants. A group of people including women and young children are seen waiting to try and catch a boat to the UK on Saturday at Gravelines in France Yesterday's arrivals were the highest since September 29 2022, when 1,131 migrants arrived on 23 boats, according to Home Office figures. The record number of arrivals is 1,305, set on September 3, 2022. Two patrol aircraft, four of the five Border Force vessels and seven French vessels, including a warship and two lifeboats, were deployed yesterday morning as a string of inflatable dinghies carrying hundreds of migrants were launched from multiple beaches. The skipper of the fishing vessel that was in the Channel for ten hours yesterday told the MoS: 'The Border Force were completely overwhelmed and they've been using the RNLI lifeboats from Dungeness and Dover all day. 'An English pleasure boat said it was taking on water and required assistance but by the time the coastguard finally had a lifeboat to spare, the boat had fixed the hole itself and was making its way back to the harbour.' He said the French authorities used their vessels to escort inflatable boats packed with migrants into English waters. A source even claimed a cross-Channel ferry had to alter its route to avoid two separate migrant boats, saying: 'There really seems to be absolutely no deterrent.' Since Labour took office in July last year, 36,859 people have been detected crossing the Channel on 667 small boats. French police stood back and watched as entire families packed themselves into an overcrowded small boat heading across the Channel to the UK this morning In a major speech in Germany last year, Sir Keir talked of a 'new spirit of cooperation' with Europe, saying: 'We cannot smash the smuggling gangs who perpetrate this vile trade without the help of our partners.' But it emerged last week that just 38 per cent of those trying to cross have been intercepted by French officials so far this year – down from 45 per cent last year and 46 per cent in 2023. The UK's £480million deal with is helping pay for a new detention centre in France, new surveillance drones, a joint Anglo-French command centre and the doubling of officers patrolling beaches from 400 to 800. A Home Office spokesman insisted the UK was 'strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders'.
Sky News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
UK to open talks with Kosovo about hosting 'return hub' for failed asylum seekers
Kosovo will be one of the countries asked to take failed asylum seekers from the UK as part of the government's plan for "return hubs" abroad, according to reports. The Western Balkan country is on a list of nine countries drawn up by the government of potential places to deport illegal migrants who have exhausted all avenues of appeal for asylum in the UK, according to The Times newspaper. The report comes after the president of Kosovo revealed to Sky News that they would be "open to discussing it", but there had been "no formal talks" so far. The Tories say that return hubs will "not work as a deterrent", and the "vast majority who illegally cross the [English] Channel have their asylum claims accepted, so would never be removed under the return hubs plan". They would be for processing failed asylum seekers prior to their eventual deportation, wherever that might be. 1:30 Downing Street said they would be for people "who have exhausted all legal routes to remain in the UK", but who may be employing tactics to delay their removal - like "losing their paperwork". The hubs would effectively buy time to return or deport illegal migrants without the government having to house them in Britain in the meantime, such as in the asylum hotels, which the government has promised to close. The prime minister described the hubs as a "really important innovation" that complements other measures the government is taking to crack down on criminal smuggling gangs and stop small boat crossings. He refused to reveal which countries the government is in talks with, but he was left slightly red-faced after the Albanian prime minister publicly slapped down the idea of a UK return hub in his country, saying their agreement with Italy was a "one-off" deal for a key ally. 1:30 But speaking exclusively to Sky's Tamara Cohen, the president of Kosovo said her government is open to the idea. Vjosa Osmani said: "There's been no formal talks with the UK on this issue. It hasn't been raised so far. "We would be open to discussing it, however I can't say more than that because I don't know the details. I cannot give an answer on a request that hasn't been made so far." Ms Osmani called the UK a "steadfast ally". UK-supplied technology is being used in Kosovo to stop illicit goods and vulnerable people from reaching British shores. Nearly 22,000 people used the Western Balkans to enter Europe last year, the Foreign Office said earlier this year. There are six countries in the Western Balkans which are seen as central to UK efforts to tackling illegal migration. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro are the others, alongside Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. The Times reports that countries outside Europe are on a shortlist to be approached for talks about return hubs. The plan is part of the broader government efforts to stop small boat crossings. Over 12,000 people have crossed the Channel illegally on small boats so far this year, with 2025 on course to a record year for crossings, which will cause a major headache for Labour after being elected on a manifesto promise to "smash the gangs". Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, said in response to the report: "The prime minister's attempt to get Albania to act as a return hub was humiliatingly dismissed by the Albanian prime minister. "Return hubs will anyway not work as a deterrent because only illegal immigrants whose asylum claims fail get removed. The vast majority who illegally cross the channel have their asylum claims accepted, so would never be removed under the return hubs plan."
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Telegraph
Private yachts an ‘easy, low-risk' route for bringing illegal migrants into UK
Private yachts are an 'easy, low-risk' route for bringing illegal migrants into the UK, a former British soldier turned people smuggler has claimed. The former soldier interviewed by the BBC said he had transported dozens of Vietnamese migrants by yacht into private marinas in south coast seaside towns until he was caught and convicted in 2019. He claimed the routes were still being used by smugglers because of the low risk of being caught at marinas that could be protected with no more security than a caravan site. His comments come after Border Force last month intercepted a yacht off the coast of Cornwall which was carrying 20 Albanians, comprising 19 men and one woman. The ex-soldier, who the BBC named as 'Nick', said he had chosen to speak out now because he was 'angry' he had been jailed for a crime that was still very possible to commit. He claimed to know people who, in the past year, had used the same routes and methods as him. The smuggling routes – whether by yacht or ferry – were 'easy' and 'low-risk', he said. Border Force is responsible for securing the 11,000 miles of UK coastline, but the security of harbours and marinas rests with private operators, Charlie Eastaugh, the force's director of maritime, told the BBC. 'We patrol 24/7, we carry out proactive, as well as reactive, operations,' he said – citing the luxury yacht, hiding the 20 Albanians below deck, which was intercepted en route to Newquay in Cornwall last month. Two harbourmasters, speaking anonymously to the BBC, agreed that private marinas were an easy target for people smugglers because they were not manned 24/7. One based in Essex likened security to a caravan site and said that someone could hide people in a boat 'easily'. 'In a busy marina in peak season, with a lot of people coming in and out, it would be very easy to do this,' they said. In Kent, Thanet District Council – which is responsible for Ramsgate Marina – said it was Border Force, and not individual harbours, that was 'the frontline response for immigration and illegal activities'. 'Staff at the port and harbour are vigilant and report any concerns or suspicions directly to Border Force for them to follow up,' said a spokesman. Some 13,574 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year on small boats, up 37 per cent on the 9,874 arrivals at the same point last year. Former Border Force director general Tony Smith, said the 'vast majority' of the agency's resources were currently deployed to the Small Boats Operational Command – focusing on specific routes used by large numbers of people crowded into small craft. 'My preference certainly would be to be able to deploy more widely and to look more across the whole of the UK coastline to identify threats,' he said.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Police make 33 arrests in cross-border crackdown on 'illegal migrants and people smugglers' in Northern Ireland
More than 30 people have been arrested and £17,000 of suspected criminal assets seized in a people-smuggling crackdown in Northern Ireland. A lorry related to an unpaid penalty notice over stowaways, worth £144,000, was also confiscated by officers. The arrests of 33 illegal migrants and suspected people smugglers were part of a three-day operation to tackle criminals exploiting the common travel area (CTA) at ports and airports in Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales. Pictures show stacks of cash and officers seizing the lorry, while footage from Belfast International Airport shows a traveller with a suitcase being taken into the back of a police van. It is the sixth operation of its kind, working between the Police Service of North Ireland, An Garda Siochana, the National Crime Agency, other UK police forces, Border Force and international partners. The Home Office said 60 arrests have been made and more than £405,000 of criminal cash seized, over abuse of the CTA, since Labour took power in July last year. Routes from the island of Ireland to the UK mainland have long been feared to be susceptible to people smuggling due to minimal border controls in the zone. Last year, 14 Albanians were found hiding inside a livestock wagon that had travelled into the British mainland from Northern Ireland. Officials confirmed the arrest was made at Loch Ryan ferry port in Dumfries and Galloway, 80 miles south of Glasgow. Illegal migrants are also known to have exploited the lack of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Home Office immigration enforcement deputy director Ben Thomas said: 'Criminal networks seek to bypass robust border checks through fraudulent means and trap vulnerable people into further illegal activities. 'The success of this operation marks a significant step up in enforcement activity, leading to the arrest of 33 criminals who attempted to abuse the common travel area and undermine the UK's border security.' Border security minister Dame Angela Eagle added: 'This Government is using every tool at its disposal to take down the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people in order to make quick cash.' Arrivals on the more high-profile illegal migration route across the Channel have topped 12,000 – an increase of 40 per cent on 2024. A total of 13 boats carrying 825 migrants made the treacherous journey across the Channel on Wednesday - with at least two people dying on one of the crossings. The Home Office confirmed there were 825 arrivals on Wednesday, bringing the total since the general election to 36,811, and a year-on-year increase of 37 per cent.
