Latest news with #smugglingGangs
Sky News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Clampdown on social media ads for Channel crossings unveiled
Why you can trust Sky News Anyone who advertises Channel crossings or fake passports on social media could face up to five years in prison under new government plans. Research suggests about 80% of migrants arriving to the UK by small boat used internet platforms during their journey - including to contact agents linked to smuggling gangs. While it is already illegal to assist illegal immigration, ministers hope the creation of a new offence will give police more powers and disrupt business models. 1:42 Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is also planning to introduce a fast-track scheme to tackle the asylum backlog, meaning decisions will be made within weeks. It comes as official figures show more than 25,000 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025 - a record for this point in the year. Ms Cooper said it is "immoral" for smugglers to sell false promises online, adding: "These criminals have no issue with leading migrants to life-threatening situations using brazen tactics on social media. "We are determined to do everything we can to stop them, wherever they operate." The new offence prohibiting the online promotion of Channel crossings is set to be included in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill already going through Parliament. 0:27 Officials from the National Crime Agency already work with tech giants to remove such posts - with more than 8,000 taken offline last year. A Preston-based smuggler who was jailed for 17 years had posted videos of migrants thanking him for his help. Meanwhile, Albanian smugglers have created promotions for £12,000 "package deals" which claim to offer accommodation and a job in the UK on arrival. The Conservatives have described the measures as "too little, too late" - and say automatic deportations are the only way to tackle small boat crossings. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Labour still has no clear plan to deter illegal entry, no effective enforcement and no strategy to speed up removals. This is a panicked attempt to look tough after months of doing nothing." 0:49 It comes as protests outside hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers continue in towns and cities across the UK. Several demonstrators were detained - with police breaking up brief clashes - outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in north London yesterday. The government is legally required to provide accommodation and subsistence to destitute asylum seekers while their claims are being decided, most of whom are prohibited from working.
Sky News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Smugglers advertising Channel crossings on social media could face five years in prison
Anyone who advertises Channel crossings or fake passports on social media could face up to five years in prison under new government plans. Research suggests about 80% of migrants arriving to the UK by small boat used internet platforms during their journey - including to contact agents linked to smuggling gangs. While it is already illegal to assist illegal immigration, ministers hope the creation of a new offence will give police more powers and disrupt business models. 1:42 Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is also planning to introduce a fast-track scheme to tackle the asylum backlog, meaning decisions will be made within weeks. It comes as official figures show more than 25,000 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025 - a record for this point in the year. Ms Cooper said it is "immoral" for smugglers to sell false promises online, adding: "These criminals have no issue with leading migrants to life-threatening situations using brazen tactics on social media. "We are determined to do everything we can to stop them, wherever they operate." The new offence prohibiting the online promotion of Channel crossings is set to be included in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill already going through Parliament. 0:27 Officials from the National Crime Agency already work with tech giants to remove such posts - with more than 8,000 taken offline last year. A Preston-based smuggler who was jailed for 17 years had posted videos of migrants thanking him for his help. Meanwhile, Albanian smugglers have created promotions for £12,000 "package deals" which claim to offer accommodation and a job in the UK on arrival. The Conservatives have described the measures as "too little, too late" - and say automatic deportations are the only way to tackle small boat crossings. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Labour still has no clear plan to deter illegal entry, no effective enforcement and no strategy to speed up removals. This is a panicked attempt to look tough after months of doing nothing." 0:49 It comes as protests outside hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers continue in towns and cities across the UK. Several demonstrators were detained - with police breaking up brief clashes - outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in north London yesterday. The government is legally required to provide accommodation and subsistence to destitute asylum seekers while their claims are being decided, most of whom are prohibited from working.
The Sun
31-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Scores of migrants board overloaded dinghies to make dangerous Channel crossing to UK – as French cops watch on
COUNTLESS migrants have boarded packed boats in France to make the treacherous journey across the English Channel to the UK. French police watched on as one of six boats, filled with adults and children seeking refuge in Britain, departed from a beach in Gravelines, located between Calais and Dunkirk. 6 6 French authorities were then also pictured escorting the small boat as it made its way across the water. Over the past week, there have not been any arrivals of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, figures from the Home Office show. However, 2025 could be on course to have the highest number of Channel crossings ever, with more than 13,000 people having arrived in the UK so far. That's roughly 30 per cent higher than figures were at the same time last year. There have been major concerns over both the number of deaths of people making the perilous journey across the Channel and the prevalence of organised smuggling gangs. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to crack down on these criminals who put migrants' lives at risk, and to eventually reduce the number of small boat crossings. Just last month, one person tragically died while trying to cross the Channel. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is a UN agency, estimated at least 78 migrants died while making the crossing in 2024, making it the deadliest year on record. Since 2018, at least 225 migrants have lost their lives making the dangerous journey to the UK, according to the IOM. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said previously that gangs had been taking advantage of recent calmer weather days to try and make crossings. Inside Calais camp where migrants pay thousands to be smuggled into UK In an interview on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Ms Cooper said: 'The really unacceptable situation we're in is because of the way the criminal gangs have taken hold, our border security ends up being dependent on the weather. 'We cannot continue like this, where the number of calm days affects the number of crossings.' Ms Cooper insisted 'only a coordinated international response' across the whole migration route could effectively end the reign of the people smugglers. She admitted the situation was unacceptable and could not continue. Last month also saw the highest single number of migrants arriving on small boats so far this year, as more than 700 people crossed the English Channel. Last year, a total of 36,816 migrants illegally crossed the Channel in small boats, up from 29,437 in 2023. 6 6 6 However, the highest year on record remains 2022, where 45,755 people made the treacherous journey to Britain. The prime minister has faced scrutiny for failing to reduce the number of small boat crossings, and the influx of illegal migration. However, he was given a lifeline as Kosovo said it would be "open" to discussions in becoming a return hub for failed UK asylum seekers. The western Balkan Other options in the region — a principal route for illegal migrants — are said to include Serbia, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. No formal talks have yet taken place.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer talks to countries about return hubs for failed asylum seekers
Sir Keir Starmer said he has talked to countries about 'return hubs' for failed asylum seekers as part of efforts to crack down on small boats crossing the Channel. It comes after the Prime Minister announced the Government would begin exploring the possibility of sending failed asylum seekers for processing in third countries prior to deportation. 'I've had a number of discussions with all sorts of leaders here today, numerous discussions with numerous leaders, including discussions about return hubs,' Sir Keir told reporters at the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, Albania. He said such hubs were not 'a silver bullet in and of themselves', but would be 'a very important additional tool in our armoury' combined with other measures to tackle smuggling gangs. There have been reports that the UK could seek agreements with countries in the Western Balkans. Albania's prime minister has appeared to rule out being a host to the UK scheme, saying the country was 'loyal' to its arrangement with Italy. Sir Keir met North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Friday, but a Downing Street readout did not mention any discussion of return hubs. The Prime Minister has pledged to crack down on smuggling gangs that bring people into the UK in small boats, including by targeting criminal networks overseas. But measures to curb migrant Channel crossings are not expected to bring numbers down this year, the PA news agency understands. Officials are understood to be pessimistic about the prospect of bringing numbers down this year, with measures not expected to start paying off until 2026. Asked whether he could guarantee crossings would start to fall this year, Sir Keir said: 'We need to drive those numbers down and you can see what priorities we put on that.' More than 12,000 people have already made the journey this year, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings. The rise is thought to be partly due to an increase in so-called 'red days', when the weather is particularly good for crossings. So far there have been around double the number of red days in 2025 than there were by the same point in 2024. Smugglers are also cramming more people into the boats, with sources suggesting migrants, increasingly from the Horn of Africa, are more likely to take risks. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are taking immediate action to drive down small boat numbers – now and in the future. 'This includes working with the French to enable their maritime forces to intervene in shallow waters to deter small boats before they can begin their journeys, new elite officers patrolling the French coast, and new intelligence and investigative units in Dunkirk who have already conducted operations where small boat equipment has been seized and people smugglers arrested. 'We are also introducing new laws which will boost our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders.'
