Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will develop legislation for sanctions regime, and is working to deliver more returns arrangements
The Government announced this week that it is set to introduce a new sanctions regime aimed at combating people smuggling and irregular migration, as part of measures to reduce small boat crossings.
Image credit: WikipediaThe sanctions regime, which is claimed to be the first of its kind globally, will target individuals and entities involved in organised immigration crime.
Writing in the Daily Mail yesterday, the Prime Minister explained: "We're going to treat people smugglers like terrorists, cyber criminals and corrupt kleptocrats. We'll freeze their assets, ban their travel and work with allies to put them behind bars."
Keir Starmer said people on small boats were crossing the Channel "illegally" and he wanted to be clear that the Government is "stopping people coming to this country illegally" and is "deporting people with no right to be here".
It should be noted that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stressed that it prefers using "irregular" instead of "illegal" for unauthorised refugee entry, underscoring that seeking asylum through such means is not a criminal act.
The Government's new initiative is part of the broader Plan for Change, which seeks to secure UK borders and reduce irregular migration. The new sanctions are expected to come into force within the year and will see the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) collaborate with international partners to disrupt criminal networks and their financial operations.
A Government press release here has further details.
In a short written statement to Parliament yesterday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the FCDO will develop legislation for the new sanctions regime, and is working to deliver more returns arrangements, and more projects and programmes to tackle irregular migration at source.
The Foreign Secretary's full statement is below:
Mr David Lammy
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Statement
Today I am updating the House on my plans to use sanctions to tackle irregular migration and organised immigration crime.
People smuggling is a challenge to global security. Criminal networks are making huge profits exploiting vulnerable people by facilitating irregular migratory movements, including dangerous sea crossings across Europe.
As Foreign Secretary, I will ensure the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office uses every tool at its disposal to tackle the challenges posed by irregular migration as part of the Government's wider effort to secure our borders.
I am therefore pleased to inform the House that the FCDO will develop legislation for a new sanctions regime targeting irregular migration and organised immigration crime. This shows further UK innovation in mobilising sanctions to tackle evolving threats that matter at home and abroad. The sanctions regime will allow the Government to take further robust action against the people smuggling gangs and their enablers.
The FCDO is also working to deliver more returns arrangements, and more projects and programmes to tackle irregular migration at source.
In this way, the FCDO will use the widest possible toolkit to smash the people smuggling gangs and tackle the challenges posed by irregular migration to deliver the Government's Plan for Change.