'Can't be tolerated': Four in ten migrants 'came from peaceful Albania instead of war-torn nations' says report
7 August 2022, 11:03 | Updated: 7 August 2022, 11:10
Just under 40% of all migrants who made the perilous journey over the English Channel on small boats in the summer came from Albania, a country that is not at war, according to leaked figures.
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Almost three times as many people come from the Balkans state compared to any other country of origin.
Nine trafficking gangs, each given codenames like "Dragon" and "Lotus", have been identified and are even using Chinese firms to make their people-smuggling boats bigger.
The "official sensitive" report, compiled after a Royal Navy surveillance operation, was immediately seized upon by political figures to deride claims that many who make the journey are fleeing war-torn countries to find safety.
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, told the Mail on Sunday: "This is proof positive that the threat we face is not an asylum issue, it's an economic migration issue, which is leading these traffickers to abuse the asylum system. This simply cannot be tolerated.
"This is absolutely clear evidence – in the face of all those on the liberal left who cry for us to let anyone in – that this is an economic issue and, as such, it is desperate that we get on with the Rwanda programme."
But Ministry of Defence figures that were officially released showed of the 18,000 people who have already made the crossing this year, 12,840 people did so after Priti Patel announced the Rwanda deal on April 14.
It had been trumpeted as a deterrent that would make attempting the journey – which has seen some people drown in the busy shipping lane when their craft capsized – less attractive if they faced being deported to the East African country.
Clare Moseley, founder of refugee charity Care4Calais, said: "This relates to a specific six-week period so we need to see if its an anomaly. The evidence clearly shows that for the last few years the majority of people crossing the Channel were genuine refugees.
"If there has been a change, it seems that the success of small boat crossings is affecting the behaviour of smugglers.
"This makes it more important than ever that the Government tries a new approach. It is so clear that their deterrence policies over the past six years have had no impact whatsoever. Since the announcement of the Rwanda plan, Channel crossings have hit an all time high."
She recommended issuing visas for safe passage using screening to ensure asylum claims are viable, similar to how Ukrainians are helped to flee the invasion there, which would "break the model of people smugglers and save lives", choking off the profits made by gangs.
The report reveals that 1,075 Albanians made up 37.5% of the 2,863 people who crossed in the six weeks between June 1 and July 12. Albania is at peace, unlike places other migrants are thought to be fleeing from like the Middle East or Africa, though it has high levels of poverty.
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Iranians made up 373, or 13%, of those who crossed, followed by 363 from Afghanistan, 217 from Iraq and 162 from Syria.
The report also revealed how nine gangs have been identified with satellites and drones tracking down their launch sites and crossing routes.
Analysts on the military effort to tackle the crossings, Operation Isotrope, have given them each codenames: Dragon, Lotus, Gorgon, Behemoth, Colossus, Titan, Tiamat, Hydra and Leviathan.
The Dragon gang was the most active, making 18 crossings with 887 people, which included 278 Albanians, and is thought to be at work near the town of Gravelines, near Calais and Dunkirk. However, it has been targeted with 39 arrests across Europe.
It is thought gangs are using TikTok to advertise themselves and charging some £5,500 per person.
But the report also raised worries about resourcing.
A Government spokesman said: "The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. People should always claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, rather than risk their lives and line the pockets of ruthless criminal gangs in order to cross the Channel.
"Under our new Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda, we are continuing preparations to relocate those who are making dangerous, unnecessary and illegal journeys into the UK ultimately helping to save lives by deterring others."
