By Matt Strudwick
In a recent Home Office operation, thirty-one people were arrested in a crackdown on people smuggling gangs. Immigration enforcement teams and police officers seized £400,000 worth of criminal cash and 10 fraudulent ID documents in Belfast, Scotland, Liverpool, and Luton over a three-day period.
The checks were conducted at major ports, airports, and road networks to disrupt smuggling routes. This operation comes as more than 700 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats, bringing the total number of crossings this year to 24,335.
Dame Angela Eagle, the minister for Border Security and asylum, emphasized the government’s commitment to combating criminal gangs involved in smuggling operations. Home Office immigration enforcement inspector Jonathan Evans praised the operation as a “huge success” and emphasized the consequences that smuggling gangs will face for breaking the law.
The Home Office has allocated £75 million to boost the number of border security officers and enhance monitoring technology as part of its efforts to crack down on people smugglers. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to tackle the criminal gangs behind the crossings and strengthen cooperation with other countries to address the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.