Announcement of New Sanctions Targeting People Smuggling Networks
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that the sanctions will disrupt gangs’ finances and operations.
A new sanctions regime targeting people smuggling networks will sever their profits and financial flows, as announced by the government.
This initiative is part of the government’s efforts to address illegal immigration and reduce small boat crossings in the English Channel. The end of last year saw the crossings of 150,000 immigrants since 2018, when records began.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy welcomed the new regime, billed as the “world’s first standalone sanctions regime” focusing on irregular migration and organized immigration crime.
During a speech at the Foreign Office, Lammy mentioned, “The UK … is to be the first country in the world to develop legislation for a new sanctions regime specifically targeting irregular migration and organized immigration crime.”
“This will aid in preventing, combating, deterring, and disrupting irregular migration and the smuggling of migrants into the UK,” he added.
The new regulations will take effect within the year and will require collaboration between the Home Office and law enforcement.
Speaking with law enforcement chiefs in central London, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the recently announced sanctions regime as a “very powerful addition to the powers at your disposal.”
Starmer reiterated the government’s commitment to “smashing the people smuggling gangs” and securing UK borders.
Interim Orders
The sanctions framework complements last week’s announcement of new interim orders, enabling law enforcement to act swiftly without the need for a conviction.
Suspected people smugglers could face travel bans, social media restrictions, and limitations on mobile phone and laptop usage under the new legislation. Violating an interim order could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years.
These proposals will be included in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently progressing through Parliament.
The immigration bill seeks to strengthen the UK’s Border Security Command, tasked with combating people smuggling gangs responsible for illegal Channel crossings, with a £150 million investment supporting the initiative.
International Pathway
The sanctions regime will be an autonomous system, with the Foreign Office planning to collaborate with international partners to combat people smugglers.
In recent months, the UK has bolstered partnerships with countries like Germany and Iraq to enhance intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation.
Lammy stressed in his speech, “A practical strategy involves transactional, hard-headed diplomacy, and smart interventions with partners at every stage along the international people smuggling pathway to strengthen borders, dismantle gangs, and repatriate those without the right to be here.”
The initiative also builds on collaboration with the Calais Group and G7 nations in the Anti-Smuggling Action Plan from October, aiming to disrupt supply chains facilitating people smuggling, including small boat parts.
Law enforcement will work with social media and internet firms to remove posts promoting illegal migration or fake job offers.
Immigration Policy
Upon taking office, Labour discarded the previous government’s immigration policy, which involved returning illegal immigrants to their home country or sending them to Rwanda.
The Rwanda scheme, introduced in 2022, was a crucial component of the Conservatives’ strategy to deter future crossings under the “stop the boats” plan.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized Labour for not presenting a real or credible plan to safeguard UK borders.
Philp outlined in The Telegraph last week that the Conservatives would enforce a hard cap on legal migrant numbers and have zero tolerance for foreign criminals by expelling them.
“We would also introduce a Rwanda-style removals deterrent. If illegal immigrants knew they would be swiftly deported upon arrival, they wouldn’t attempt to enter in the first place,” he explained, urging Starmer to adopt these measures.
The Home Office highlighted its increased enforcement and restoration of order to the “chaotic asylum system” within six months of taking power.
“With these new sanctions, we will target those profiting from risking lives and disrupt the gangs’ finances, making it harder for them to operate,” said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
PA Media contributed to this report.
