We’re being tough on small boats but it’s the right thing
SUNDAY EXPRESS readers have had enough. Over the past two years the number of people crossing the Channel illegally has more than quadrupled.what was once viewed as a short-term emergency is in danger of becoming the status quo.
We have seen how dangerous these crossings are. People are putting their lives at risk and tragedy could strike at any moment.
But the journeys are not only unsafe; they are completely unnecessary. Each and every migrant setting off in a flimsy dinghy is already in a safe country: France.
The consequence of this is the unacceptable – and deeply unfair – situation in which the British public now find themselves.
Eyewatering amounts of taxpayer’s money are being used to pay hotel bills to accommodate illegal arrivals. Public services are being placed under immense pressure.
And communities’ ability to manage such large numbers of new arrivals is being tested, with tensions now rising.
These crossings have pushed our asylum system to breaking point. Enough is enough.
That is why the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and I have made it a priority to stop the boats.
Last week we took a crucial step forward with the introduction of our Illegal Migration Bill.
At its heart is a simple principle: if you arrive in the UK illegally having passed through a safe country, your protection claim will be inadmissible.
You will be liable for detention and swiftly returned to your home country or a safe third country like Rwanda. Any other human rights claim or challenges will be accessible only after removal.
Through this Bill, we are making it crystal clear that if you come to our country illegally, you will not have a route to a life here. This is tough, but it’s the right thing to do.
Too often the reality of the situation is misrepresented. It bears repeating: those crossing the Channel are overwhelmingly young men who are rich enough to pay the people-smuggling gangs and fit enough to make the long journeys.
They are in France – self-evidently
a safe country with a fully functioning asylum system.
Those that cross frequently dispose of their documents in the Channel, and once they arrive they often disappear – leaving their asylum claim outstanding.
This simply isn’t fair.those arriving by small boat are skipping the queue to reach the UK, overwhelming our asylum system and diverting our finite resources away from those in conflict zones around the world who are most in need.
All the while, smuggling gangs make vast profits from their despicable trade.
Controlling our borders must be a first order priority of any government, but particularly a Conservative government that believes in the nation state, security and sovereignty. That’s why we have brought forward the Bill.
But this new legislation is not the sum of our work. As the public would expect, we are tackling illegal immigration from every angle.
This includes tackling the gangs upstream, well before migrants get anywhere near France.
And we have deepened our co-operation with France to levels never seen before.the French have prevented nearly 33,000 crossings in 2022 – an increase of over 40 per cent on the number of crossings prevented in 2021.
On Friday, the Prime Minister struck a new deal with President Macron to strengthen our joint
efforts to dismantle the gangs. It will see hundreds of extra French law enforcement officers deployed in northern France to tackle small boats, with half of these in place by the end of the year.
Additional drones and other technologies will also be deployed, enabling the UK and France to step up intelligence sharing and clamp down on people-trafficking routes.
And for the first time, the UK will help fund a detention centre in France.
This simply isn’t fair. Those arriving by small boat are skipping the queue to reach the UK
AT HOME we have increased illegal working raids by 50 per cent. Those employing illegal migrants – whether in car washes, construction sites or warehouses – should know that we are coming for you.
We will resume data-sharing with banks to make it harder for those here illegally to open accounts and operate in the UK.
Since last December we have returned 3,000 illegal migrants, including over 500 Albanians under our returns agreement.
Tomorrow MPS will vote on our Illegal Migration Bill. It will be clear to see which party is on the side of the British people.
Our message to Sunday Express readers is simple: we share your frustration, we understand what is at stake and we will do everything in our power to stop the boats and secure our borders.