Priti Patel unveils plan to cut number of Albanian migrant arrivals

Albanian police will work on the Kent coast to help process migrants and pass on information

Migrants are escorted into Dover by a member of the UK military after being rescued while attempting to cross the English Channel. Reuters

Home Secretary Priti Patel has struck a deal with the Albanian government in which members of its law enforcement agencies will come to the UK to observe migrant arrivals and pass on intelligence in a bid to tackle Channel crossings.

Under the new plan, Albanian officers will be taken to the Kent coast to be present while migrants are processed and assist UK authorities with information, the Home Office said.

Officials have yet to confirm when the new arrangement could take effect.

The move comes amid reports of growing numbers of people from the south-eastern European country making the journey from France.

Government officials believe about 60 per cent of migrants making the crossing each day now are Albanian, although figures fluctuate, the PA news agency reported.

Ms Patel and Bledi Cuci, Albania’s minister for interior affairs, also pledged to speed up removals of Albanians with no right to be in the UK from next week, when they discussed the situation on Tuesday night.

Checks on migrants arriving by boat who are suspected of being Albanian will be fast-tracked, it is understood.

Migrant crossings on the English Channel surge amid heatwave — in pictures

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  The number of migrants crossing the English Channel from northern Europe has reached record-breaking figures as people in Britain are experiencing an exceptionally hot summer. PA

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  A lady carries a toddler to a bus after a group of people thought to be migrants were brought in to Dover, Kent, on the south-east English coast. PA

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  A group of migrants are brought in to Ramsgate, Kent, on August 1 - the day on which almost 700 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in a single day, a record for the year so far. PA

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  It was only the second time in 2022 that the daily figure has topped 600. PA

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  A woman carries a newborn baby in a life cradle as she is brought in to Dover on a Border Force vessel in July. PA

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  About 3,683 migrants made the crossing on 90 boats in July, the highest monthly total this year. PA

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  A warehouse in Dover for boats used by people trying to cross the Channel. PA

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  Migrants hold up an inflatable boat before attempting to cross the Channel to Britain, near the northern French city of Gravelines, in July. AFP

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  A police officer stands guard on the beach at Dungeness, England, as migrants get off a lifeboat after they were picked up at sea in June. AFP

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  A group of people thought to be migrants walk up the beach after being brought in to Dungeness in May. AP

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  Migrants on the beach at Dungeness, after crossing the English Channel in an inflatable dinghy in January. Reuters

Advertisements in Albanian on Facebook and Instagram were also launched on Wednesday to try to deter people from making the journey.

The campaign will focus on those in specific regions in northern France and Belgium “who meet certain criteria, such as being away from home”, the Home Office said.

Officials are thought to be still thrashing out the finer details of the arrangement, so little further information on how it will work is currently available.

The Home Office said that Albania is a “safe and prosperous country” and many citizens “are travelling through multiple countries to make the journey to the UK” before making “spurious asylum claims when they arrive”.

Fewer than 1,000 Albanian offenders have been deported from the UK since a removals agreement was signed last year.

“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,” said Ms Patel.

“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.”

Afghan migrant documents dangerous journey across Channel — video

“We discourage these illegal and dangerous practices,” said Mr Cuci.

“The home secretary and I also discussed midterm solutions to provide better opportunities for young people, and means of legal migration that enables skilled professionals and labour access to the UK.”