The British government announced today that it will cooperate with the Albanian government to repatriate many Albanians who are crossing the English Channel in small boats, as migration flows have increased despite the controversial plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.
The number of irregular migrants arriving in Britain on small boats reached a record high for a 24-hour period on Monday.
Nearly 40% of the irregular migrants who arrived in Britain over a six-week period—from June to July—were from Albania, the Mail on Sunday recently reported, citing leaked data. New official figures on migration flows are expected to be released later today.
According to Interior Minister Priti Patel, ruthless traffickers and gangs are profiting at the expense of many Albanians and forcing them to board dilapidated boats to transport them to Britain. Patel announced that the repatriation of Albanians will be expedited starting next week. «Thanks to our excellent cooperation with Albania, we will take every opportunity to expedite the removal of Albanians who have no right to be in the United Kingdom,», he said.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had hoped that the threat to deport migrants to Rwanda, announced in April, would deter those hoping to cross the English Channel in small boats. However, migrant flows in the first eight months of the year are nearly double those of the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the British plan to deport migrants to Rwanda has been «put on hold» due to legal challenges. Human rights organizations argue that the plan is unworkable and unethical. The first scheduled deportation flight, last June, was canceled following an intervention by the European Court of Human Rights.
The two candidates vying to succeed Boris Johnson as British prime minister, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, have pledged to implement the plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.
