The Home Secretary’s speech at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit emphasized the urgent need for global cooperation to combat organized immigration crime and border security threats. The summit, attended by interior ministers, senior law enforcement officials, and delegations from over 40 countries and organizations, marked a significant milestone in the fight against human smuggling and trafficking.
The Home Secretary highlighted the long history of international migration, driven by various factors such as work, study, family reunification, and fleeing war, persecution, or poverty. However, recent years have seen new and alarming patterns of irregular and illegal migration, posing major challenges to border security, national security, and the rule of law.
Two key factors have accelerated and transformed these challenges: technology and the emergence of a ruthless criminal industry. Technology has made it easier and faster for people to organize journeys, while the criminal industry has grown and expanded globally, worth billions of pounds. This industry preys on vulnerable individuals, putting lives at risk and undermining border security, national security, and the rule of law.
The Home Secretary emphasized that organized immigration crime poses a significant and growing global threat, with far-reaching consequences. This threat is not limited to destination countries but affects source and transit countries as well. The gangs involved in this trade are exploiting more people than ever before, using social media to advertise false promises of illegal jobs, organizing logistics, and using fake papers and illegal finance networks.
The UK has seen a significant increase in small boat crossings, with over 30,000 people making the crossing in just four years. This is powered by smuggler and trafficking gangs who use flimsy rubber boats, fake life jackets, and overcrowding to maximize profits. The Home Secretary emphasized the need for cooperation across borders to take down these gangs and disrupt their operations.
To address this challenge, the UK is strengthening its laws, introducing new counter-terror powers, and establishing a new Border Security Command. However, the Home Secretary emphasized that no country can do this alone and that partnerships and cooperation are essential. The summit aimed to bring countries together to share experiences, discuss strategies, and commit to working together to tackle this global threat.
The Home Secretary concluded by emphasizing the importance of cooperation and the need for collective action to disrupt and dismantle the criminal gangs involved in organized immigration crime. The summit marked a crucial step in this effort, and the Home Secretary looked forward to hearing from participants and working together to address this critical challenge.
