The Home Office is expanding its efforts to prevent migrants from avoiding deportation by discarding their passports. The move is part of a broader strategy to fast-track asylum claims and speed up the processing and return of those coming from countries considered safe.
Under a new agreement, up to 36,000 people a year who attempt to reach Italy from “safe” countries are set to be taken to Shengjin, a port in Albania about 45 miles from the capital, Tirana. Their asylum claims will be processed quickly, and successful applicants will be allowed to continue to Italy. However, most are expected to have their applications denied, as many come from countries such as Egypt, Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia.
Ms. Cooper explained on BBC radio that the UK is closely monitoring the Italy-Albania arrangement while working on its fast-track system to process asylum claims faster. She emphasized that if individuals come from safe countries, decisions and returns should be sped up. This summer, enforced returns for failed asylum cases increased by 23%.
When asked about dealing with migrants who throw away their passports to obscure their identities, the Home Secretary said that since the election, the UK has increased resources for returns and enforcement. She highlighted that various forms of evidence can be used to identify individuals, not just passports. Agreements with other countries to help identify people without travel documents have been made in the past and are set to be expanded.
Although the Home Secretary did not commit to specific targets for reducing Channel crossings, she acknowledged that the rise in crossings during October was linked to weather conditions. However, she stressed the need to focus on dismantling the criminal smuggling networks at the heart of the problem, rather than just relying on weather patterns.
Funding will be allocated to high-tech surveillance equipment and 100 specialist investigators who will target human smuggling operations. This approach follows the government’s shift away from the previous Rwanda deportation plan, which was criticized and ultimately unsuccessful.