The number of Albanians crossing the English Channel is increasing because, according to the former head of the English Border Police, they claim to be victims of trafficking, increasing their chances of remaining in the United Kingdom.
Tony Smith, former director general of the Border Force, said there was evidence that Albanians were being advised by people-smuggling gangs to claim they were victims of trafficking as an alternative to seeking asylum, something they were unlikely to gain coming from a country where there is peace.
It explains why almost four in ten migrants who crossed the English Channel over a six-month period this summer were Albanian, three times more than any other nationality, according to a military intelligence report published yesterday.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is reviewing anti-slavery legislation to close the loophole used by Albanians and other migrants as a way to stay in the UK.
"Illegal immigrants who have travelled to the UK from safe havens have requested modern slavery referrals, which have prevented and delayed their removal or deportation," a Whitehall source said.
"It is imperative that this system is fixed quickly and for the better. Unless we make drastic reforms, the real victims of modern slavery will continue to suffer with excessive decision-making periods and a system that rewards those who seek only to exploit them."
More than 18,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel so far this year, almost double the rate last year.
The intelligence report covering June to July 12 of this year found that of the 2,863 migrants transported by the nine gangs, 1,075 – or 37.5 percent – were Albanian.
This reduced the number of Iranians, the next highest with 373 migrants or 13 percent, 363 from Afghanistan (12.7 percent), 217 from Iraq (7.6 percent), 162 from Syria (5.7 percent) and 163 from Eritrea (5.7 percent).
