Dubai: Under mounting pressure to reduce net migration, the UK government has intensified efforts to combat illegal migration, unveiling new funding for advanced technology and announcing a record number of deportations.
Since Labour took office in July, the government has removed 13,500 individuals without legal rights to remain in the UK, the highest since 2018. This includes the organisation of 33 charter flights and the use of raids to locate and deport illegal migrants, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.
To further strengthen these efforts, the government has allocated £8 million ($10.1 million) for new technological tools, including body-worn cameras and biometric kits, to aid enforcement operations. These measures are aimed at improving the detection and removal of illegal migrants while enhancing security.
The government is also tightening legal migration pathways, with stricter controls on visa issuance and an emphasis on reducing reliance on migrant labour for sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and construction. These technological tools will support enforcement operations by improving identification processes, ensuring more effective surveillance, and enhancing the ability to track those in violation of immigration laws.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that raids have intensified, and operations aimed at addressing illegal working have seen an increase.
For instance, biometric kits and body-worn cameras could aid in the swift identification of migrants, but their implementation raises questions about their effectiveness in addressing the root causes of migration, such as economic disparity, political instability, and violence in home countries.
Labour is under increasing pressure to reduce net migration figures, which were a prominent issue during the July elections. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s inability to control immigration contributed to the Conservative Party’s defeat, while the anti-immigrant Reform UK Party gained significant ground.
The Labour government has emphasised its commitment to addressing illegal immigration, with Cooper stating that operations and arrests have increased since the election, particularly in efforts to combat exploitation and illegal working.
How about legal migration?
Additionally, legal migration pathways are being streamlined to ensure that the country’s needs for skilled labour are met while limiting the overall flow of immigrants. For instance, under the current government’s policies, there’s been an emphasis on reducing the overall immigration numbers by tightening the requirements for work and study visas, setting caps on specific types of visas, and making it harder for migrants to stay long-term without meeting strict criteria.
Controversies and protests
Despite the curbs introduced by the previous Conservative government, the number of long-term migrants arriving in the UK has decreased slightly in the year leading up to June but remains at historically high levels. The arrival of migrants in small boats across the English Channel has continued to spark controversy, with far-right protests and attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers earlier this year highlighting the tensions surrounding the issue.
The focus on reducing illegal migration, meanwhile, has sparked debates on its impact on sectors of the economy that rely heavily on migrant labour, such as agriculture, construction, and healthcare. Many industries, especially those struggling with labour shortages, are concerned about the potential consequences of these policies.
In particular, the care sector, which is heavily dependent on migrant workers, may face greater strain as removals and tighter controls limit the availability of workers. The UK’s crackdown on illegal migration also involves increased cooperation with neighbouring European countries, particularly France, from where many small boat crossings originate.
