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IMMIGRATION

Most Channel migrants facing deportation claim to be slavery victims

Migrants being brought ashore at Dungeness, Kent, last month
Migrants being brought ashore at Dungeness, Kent, last month
GARETH FULLER/PA

Two thirds of migrants who arrived in small boats and were detained for removal last year claimed they were victims of modern slavery — a move that delayed their deportation, figures show.

The number of people reported as potential victims of modern slavery rose to a record of 4,746 in the first three months of the year, according to Home Office data. It is the highest number recorded in a three-month period since records began in 2009 and was more than a quarter higher than last year.

Albanians continue to be the largest group of people reported to the Home Office’s national referral mechanism for assessing claims of modern slavery. They accounted for 1,452 of all potential victims, 31 per cent of the total.