‘Soft’ Ireland and Belgium are routes to UK for migrants

THE Republic of Ireland and Belgium are the new frontiers in the battle against illegal immigration into the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) says.

People smugglers are increasingly opting for the two countries because security elsewhere has become effective. Investigators said Ireland has become an attractive option because illegal immigrants are able to take advantage of the “soft” border with Northern Ireland and then make their way to the British mainland.

Tom Dowdall, the deputy director of the NCA, said people traffickers were seeking to exploit the border arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic. He said: “The level of border controls, or requirements of border controls, are different to that from others travelling on from other countries. We have seen some evidence of that being abused.”

Mr Dowdall warned that people smugglers were using Belgium to get migrants into the UK. He said improved security in France meant they were targeting lorries across the border. Mr Dowdall also said there was evidence of Eastern European lorry drivers being increasingly complicit in smuggling migrants through the Channel Tunnel route from Calais to Dover for a fee.