Home Secretary Leads Crucial Summit to Combat Smuggling Networks Following Tragic Channel Deaths

Interior Minister Yvette Cooper is set to lead a meeting with cabinet officials and law enforcement representatives to address the issue of small boat crossings and smuggling operations in the Channel, following recent fatalities.

Friday, September 6, 2024, 1:

The Home Secretary is scheduled to convene with other ministers and law enforcement officials this Friday at a strategic meeting aimed at outlining the government's strategy to address the issue of small boat crossings in the Channel.

Yvette Cooper will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Attorney General Lord Hermer, along with officials from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), at the NCA's headquarters in London.

Sir Keir Starmer committed to dismantling criminal gangs as a major part of his strategy to address hazardous migration, following his party's promise to abandon the Conservative's plan to deport certain undocumented migrants to Rwanda.

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Shortly after assuming power, the Labour Party declared its intention to redirect several tens of millions of pounds originally allocated for the Rwanda project towards establishing a new Border Security Command to address the situation.

In a conversation with Sky News, Security Minister Dan Jarvis stated that the government is committed to taking full responsibility for the volume of individuals migrating across the Channel from France.

He explained, "This is the reason we have opted to abandon the Rwanda plan, which we believed was doomed to fail. Consequently, we are implementing alternative measures."

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He cautioned the community that addressing the influx of nearly 22,000 individuals who have arrived illegally via small boats this year would require time.

Mr. Jarvis emphasized, "It's crucial for the public to recognize that securing our borders presents a strategic challenge for the UK. We are rapidly taking steps to reduce these figures and dismantle the despicable criminal rings involved in human smuggling into the UK."

"We are prepared to go to great lengths to stop their actions, which have clearly led to the increased number of people crossing the Channel."

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The party is moving forward with the former administration's strategy to reactivate two immigration facilities as a measure to curb the influx of small boat arrivals.

The meeting on Friday follows the tragic loss of at least 12 lives in the Channel this week, among them 10 females.

General Graeme Biggar, the director of the NCA, is set to underscore the achievements of his agency in Bulgaria, noting that setting up operations there and cooperating with local law enforcement has resulted in the interception of over 40 small boats and engines recently. This effort has potentially prevented as many as 2,400 individuals from attempting to cross the Channel.

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The government plans to examine the methods used by smugglers and enhance cooperation with Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, as a component of its strategy.

Learn more: Downing Street refutes allegations that it seldom deports illegal immigrants from the UK, as migrants try to cross the Channel a day after 12 perish.

Ms. Cooper stated, "These reprehensible criminal smuggling rings base their operations on taking advantage of vulnerable individuals. This week, women and children were crammed into a perilous vessel that ultimately disintegrated at sea. The tragic incident resulted in the death of at least 12 people. We are committed to relentlessly pursuing these groups until they are completely dismantled and held accountable for their actions."

Over the past couple of months, there has been notable advancement, marked by major confiscations of vessels and gear across Europe. However, efforts must continue, and the Border Security Command is set to coordinate various agencies to explore, apprehend, and bring legal action against these networks, while also strengthening relationships with essential global allies.

"Simultaneously, we are quickly deporting individuals who are not legally permitted to remain in the UK, thereby upholding a just, strict, and effective asylum system that maintains and enforces its regulations."

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