Migrant smugglers force people into deadly boat crossings with lower rates
EXCLUSIVE: An Iraqi Kurd revealed that the safest option - riding in a lorry - is more expensive than risking the journey by boat, which could cost him as little as £1,000.
Border Force intercept dingy crossing Channel in May
Migrants are repeatedly sneaking into the UK illegally even if they are deported, the Daily Express has learned.
Karwan Karim, an Iraqi Kurd, was waiting by the side of a road in Northern France hoping to receive the final instructions from a smuggler about which beach to go to.
But he told the Daily Express he reached the UK in 2012 after climbing into the back of a lorry.
He lived in Barnsley until returning home for a family funeral and now hopes to return again, making the journey with his mother, sister and her three young children.
Mr Karim admitted he voluntarily deported himself. By becoming a “voluntary return”, the Home Office can help organise travel arrangements, help secure travel documents or even pay for the flights.
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Speaking in a small park near Grand-Fort-Philippe, a common launch point for smugglers, the 25-year-old Iraqi Kurd said: “I’m not concerned about taking a boat - just take me to the UK.
“Getting a lorry was safer, but a lot more money.
“It is cheaper to get a boat. For me, it is £1,000 - £1,500. Everyone is different.
“I’m travelling with my family, my cousin, my mum and my sister. It is very hard. The police are very crazy here. They all have guns.”
Alp Mehmet, Chair of Migration Watch, said: “This is surely a golden opportunity to send him back to Iraq on the first available flight.
“He can’t possibly have any claim to asylum. Allowing him to stay, or even for his case to be considered, would suggest the Government has totally given up on control of the border.”
Around 2,862 migrants have reached the UK in June, bringing the total this year to 10,521.
The arrival of a dozen more boats will see the total for last June eclipsed, fuelling doubts over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge that the Government’s policies have led to a 20 percent fall in crossings.
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When compared to this time last year, it is currently only 11 percent down, adding to concerns the weather was the main reason for fewer crossings.
The Government's Illegal Migration Bill will ban migrants who arrive in the UK illegally from claiming asylum.
They will be detained and then deported to either their home country or to Rwanda.
A Home Office spokesman said: “The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.
“Our priority is to stop the boats, and our Small Boats Operational Command is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers.
“The government has gone further by introducing legislation which will ensure that those people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.”
