The latest measures, unveiled on Wednesday, are all about cracking down on organized immigration crimes and sending back the highest number of illegal immigrants in five years, since 2018.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper introduced the new initiatives, which include hiring approximately 100 specialist intelligence and investigation officers at the National Crime Agency. Their main task will be to target, dismantle, and disrupt organized immigration crime networks.
Cooper also revealed plans to increase the removal rate of unauthorized residents within the next six months. Additionally, there will be an intelligence-driven focus on illegal working to investigate and penalize those employing migrants without work rights in the country.
These measures are part of the government’s commitment to long-term border security. Cooper stated, “We are taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security and ensure the rules are respected and enforced. Our new Border Security Command is already gearing up and by increasing enforcement capabilities, we will establish a system that is better controlled and managed, to replace the chaos that has plagued the system for far too long.”
In response, Ms Blundell commented, “On border security and the asylum system, the sheer scale of incompetence and the staggering waste of taxpayer’s money under the Tories has left the new Home Secretary with a huge mess to clean up. But already we are taking the swift and decisive action required to strengthen our border security, crack down on the smuggling gangs, and get our asylum system under control.”
Conservative Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly criticized new ministers for failing to “get a grip” on cross-Channel migration between France and England’s South Coast over the weekend.