TIRANA, December 13 – Britain on Tuesday said it planned to bring in new legislation to prevent migrants who cross the English Channel from remaining in the country, as the government tries to control a surge in people arriving in small boats on its southern coast.
The number of people arriving in England across the Channel has more than doubled in the last two years, with government figures showing Albanians account for the highest number of people arriving by this route, said Reuters on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a new five-point strategy for dealing with illegal immigration, including plans to fast-track the return of Albanian asylum seekers, and clearing the initial backlog of almost 150,000 asylum cases by the end of next year by doubling the number of caseworkers.
“If you enter the UK illegally you should not be able to remain here,” Sunak told parliament. “Instead, you will be detained and swiftly returned either to your home country or to a safe country where your asylum claim will be considered.”
Britain’s interior minister, Home Secretary Suella Braverman, recently called the wave of arrivals an “invasion” and described many of the migrants as “criminals”, leading to an angry response from Albanian prime minister Edi Rama.
Sunak said that over the coming months thousands of Albanians would be returned home.
The Albanian government expressed its appreciation for the support given by the UK as well as for the commitments made by the British government to the Albanian civil society organizations with the aim of creating opportunities for young people to stay in Albania. /Argumentum.al
