Albanian police officers are to be stationed at Dover to help identify and deport illegal Channel migrants within days as part of a crackdown by Priti Patel on the surge in arrivals from the Balkan state.
The Home Secretary has agreed an action plan with her Albanian counterpart to speed up removals as intelligence suggests Albanians now account for between 40 and 60 per cent of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
Senior police officers from the Balkan state are expected to be stationed in Dover and other ports to help identify Albanians, investigate their background including criminal links and assist UK Border Force and immigration enforcement officials in fast-track removals within days.
Ms Patel held talks with Bledi Çuçi, the Albanian interior minister, on Tuesday to work out how they could speed up the deportation of illegal Albanian migrants under a returns agreement she signed with the Balkan state last year.
It is claimed as many as 6,000 of the record 23,000 migrants who have reached the UK are from Albania, even though it is a Nato ally which aspires to join the European Union and has seen no conflict for more than 25 years. Monday saw a daily record of 1,295 migrants cross the Channel.
An advertising campaign will be launched in Albania on Thursday by the Home Office to warn migrants in their own language that they face up to four years in jail and deportation if they enter the UK illegally.
‘Abuse of our immigration system’
Ms Patel has also ordered an overhaul of anti-slavery laws which have been used by Albanians to avoid deportation by claiming to be victims of trafficking. Official data shows Albanians are now the top nationality claiming to be victims of modern slavery, overtaking UK nationals.
The Home Secretary said: “Large numbers of Albanians are being sold lies by ruthless people smugglers and vicious organised crime gangs, leading them to take treacherous journeys in flimsy boats to the UK. This abuse of our immigration system and people risking their lives cannot go on.
“Thanks to our excellent levels of co-operation with Albania, we will take every opportunity to speed up removals of Albanians with no right to be in the UK.”
Mr Çuçi said Albania “discouraged” such “illegal and dangerous practices” by migrants, adding that he had also discussed “mid-term” solutions with Ms Patel for legal migration routes for skilled professionals and other workers.
Home Office officials said the migrants from Albania, a “safe and prosperous country,” were travelling through multiple “safe” countries to reach the UK where they made “spurious” asylum claims.
They also accounted for more than a quarter (27 per cent) of the record 4,171 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the Home Office in the second quarter of this year.
The Home Office review of the Modern Slavery Act, introduced by Theresa May in 2015, is expected to raise evidence thresholds to make it harder to lodge a successful case, limit the number of claims and accelerate the process for deporting rejected claimants.
The adverts on Facebook and Instagram will mirror those targeted at migrants in France and Belgium in Arabic, Kurdish, Pashto, Vietnamese and Farsi. One, showing male migrants in a small boat, warns: “You could face up to 4 years in jail and deportation for coming to the UK illegally.”
The Telegraph revealed on Wednesday how Albanian people-smuggling gangs are offering free minibus trips from southern Europe to the northern French coast for migrants seeking to cross the Channel as well as “reduced” prices as low as £3,500 per person.
They often work in the black economy or end up in criminality such as harvesting cannabis plants in illegal farms run by Albanian gangs in order to pay off debts, say immigration officials.
However, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said as many as two thirds of Albanians were found to have legitimate asylum and trafficking claims: “We know directly from extensive work with Albanian refugees that many have been trafficked and are victims of criminal and sexual exploitation. Just because a country is not at war, does not mean that it is safe for all that live there.
"To pre-judge an asylum claim based on biases about the country of origin of the applicant is totally wrong, and undermining of our asylum determination process that seeks to ensure the opposite - that claims are assessed on their individual merit and the information provided.
“The fact that over half of Albanians who claim asylum here are given refugee protection by our Government speaks volumes for the clear dangers these people are facing.”
Wednesday saw an estimated 400 migrants cross the Channel, which will take August’s total close to the monthly record of 6,878 last November.
