Category: small boats

TikTok Trafficking Ad Ban Leads to Drop in Albanians Arriving on Small Boats: Reports

Downing Street has welcomed a TikTok policy change that has reportedly led to a drop in the number of Albanian illegal immigrants arriving in small boats. Since March, the video platform has proactively blocked posts from people smugglers using the site to advertise illegal crossings to the UK. According to The Times of London, traffickers were…


Wirral Port Operator Rejects Home Office Migrant Barge Plan

The operator of a port near Liverpool has said there’s no “conceivable scenario” where the Home Office can moor a barge to hold illegal immigrants owing to the lack of local support. The Home Office, which is reportedly no longer considering the site, said it’s continuing to find “new alternative sites and vessels to accommodate…


Small Boats Bill Faces Delay as Peers Demand Impact Report

The Home Office faces a serious delay in pushing forward its Illegal Migration Bill as peers demand to see an economic impact assessment on the controversial legislation. On Monday, Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth was heckled in the Lords as he repeatedly said the report would be “published in due course.” The Tory…


Rishi Sunak Says Illegal Immigrants Taking Advantage of Britain’s ‘Generosity of Spirit’

Rishi Sunak says the British government has bought or rented three barges to house up to 1,500 illegal immigrants and has said he makes no apology for “tough measures” which are being used to stem the tide of small boats crossing the English Channel. The first of the barges is due to dock in Portland,…


Albanian Migrants in UK Jails Almost Double in 4 years

The number of Albanian migrants locked up in British jails has almost doubled in four years, analysis by The Epoch Times has found. According to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, almost 1,400 Albanian foreign nationals are currently in custody in England and Wales—compared to just over 800 in 2019. Those from the Balkans now make…


13,000 Albanians Breach Bail Conditions

Over 12,800 Albanians who entered the UK illegally have breached strict immigration bail conditions, Home Office data has revealed. The figures—released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI)—make up a quarter of all bail breaches by illegal migrants from January 2022 to April this year. According to government figures, a total of 44,957 people were…


Braverman’s Small Boats Bill Sparks Backlash in Lords

The Home Secretary’s Illegal Migration Bill received a rocky ride through the Lords as cross-party peers almost unanimously criticised the small boat cutting plans. Several voiced concern over how the UK would be viewed on the world stage, with one peer stating that Britain faced “humiliation” if the legislation goes through in its current form….


Locals Fear Refugee Barge Will Impact Tourism and Income: Dorset Campaigner

A leading campaigner against the government’s plan to moor a barge housing 500 refugees off a small English isle says the area has been “let down” by the government. Julie Croley said concerns from residents in the coastal areas of Portland and Weymouth are “being completely ignored” by officials. The 58-year-old from nearby Dorchester is…


65 Percent of Illegal Immigrants Facing Deportation Claim to Be Modern Slavery Victims

Most illegal immigrants arriving in the UK by small boats who were detained for removal have claimed they were victims of modern slavery, Home Office figures show. Such claims would delay the deportation until a decision is made on their modern slavery claims. According to data released by the Home Office on Thursday, in 2021,…


Afghan Gang Jailed in France for Smuggling Illegal Immigrants to UK in Small Boats

The ringleaders of an Afghan organised crime group have been convicted and jailed in France for smuggling illegal immigrants through the English Channel to the UK in small boats. A total of nine men, all Afghan nationals, were convicted of immigration and organised crime offences on April 21 following a trial in Paris, according to…