Yvette Cooper, the newly appointed Home Security, is on a mission to stop small boats from crossing into the UK illegally. Here’s the scoop on how the Labour government will tackle this problem.
Stopping Organised Immigration Crime
Labour government is working towards stopping organised immigration crime in its tracks. Home Security, Yvette Cooper is taking the first step in of action in this course by implementing a “Boarder Security Command.”
Keeping a Closer Eye on Water Passage
The Boarder Security Command is Labour’s new intervention for getting things under control across English Channel waters. The government hopes the new plan will stop small boats from illegally crossing the English Channel, BBC reports.
Nearly 30,000 in 2022
According to The Migration Observatory, over 29,000 people crossed the channel in 2023, down from 2022, when a staggering 46,000 people were detected illegally crossing in small boats over the English Channel.
Numbers Are High Early in the Year
The Migration Observatory also showed that at the start of 2024, over 12,000 people had already made the trip across the Channel.
Whose Crossing?
Syrians, Afghans, Iranians, Albanians, Sudanese, and Eritreans are some of the foreign nationals making the cross in small boats illegally, according to the Migration Observatory.
Deterring Small Boats
According to BBC reports, the Conservative Party planned to deter small boats from illegally crossing the Channel. The process would also include taking the asylum seekers in but sending them off for processing and relocation in Rwanda.
The Rwanda Policy
The Rwanda policy is a UK and Rwuanda Migration and Economic Development Policy. The conservative party originally established the policy under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s leadership.
The Rwanda Plan Doesn’t Work
Before the Labour Party’s win, the UK was still dealing with thousands of asylum seekers looking for refuge from their war-torn countries. However, many of them end up in some form of “limbo” according to BBC reports. Some are in refugee camps and unable to go anywhere from there.
Difficult Conditions
The thousands of illegal migrants and asylum seekers can’t work in the UK and thus can’t make a living for their families, and for some, there’s nowhere to go. Refugee Council Chief Enver Solomon told BBC that the next government must “..restore the right to asylum in the UK, and rebuild the system based on British values of compassion, fairness, and respect…”
It’s Costing the State
In an interview, The Refugee Council told the BBC that 36,000 asylum seekers are living in unsuitable hotel rooms. The council said the accommodation cost is roughly £5.3 million per day.
No Space to Contain All the Refugees
The UK doesn’t have the space to contain thousands of people seeking asylum, and the new government plans on changing the way the Conservatives “managed” this issue.
A Different Approach
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the former scheme would be scrapped. He said it was “dead and buried.”
Calling Expert Assistance
Cooper plans to draw on expert insights like the police, Immigration Enforcement, Border Force, and Intelligence Agencies to accomplish success.
Getting to the Core of the Problem
Cooper said that the steps to make the new plan work are closely cooperating with special intelligence and the other authorities to get to the root cause.
Organised Crime Making Millions and Risking Lives
The criminal tactics are part of organised immigration crime, and “they’re making millions out of small boat crossings, undermining our border security and putting lives at risk,” she told BBC.
Replacing Former Officials
The labour government has appointed a new cross-border police officer and a new border security commander. She said these were already “a major upgrade in law enforcement.”
There Is No Official Date to Start the New System
In the interview, a BBC reporter asked Cooper when the “small boat crossing start.” While she never gave a definite answer, she only commented about wanting to make progress as soon as possible.
Digging Deeper
Cooper said that they would track the operations to get to the root of the criminal organisations. The operations would include working out the routes and tactics behind organised crimes.
Investigation to Assist the Process
Cooper told BBC that the plan is to launch investigations and appoint someone to lead these investigations. The findings will help equip her with her approach to stopping the small boats crossing and illegal entry.
Investing in the Cause
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that funds used in the former Rwanda project, £75 million, would be diverted to the new Border Security Command, BBC reported.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Sean Aidan Calderbank.