More than 40 criminals and migrants are sent back to Vietnam and Timor-Leste. It’s a victory as a UK-based criminal gang is sentenced. Here’s the story.
Change Underway
When Keir Starmer’s team took charge of the government and the Labour Party won on the 4th of July 2024, there was immediate action to implement change.
Cracking down on Crime
Cracking down on illegal foreign nationals entering the country has become a crisis and one of the first things the party addressed.
Wasted Taxpayer’s Money Because of Tories
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the former Conservative government wasted taxpayers’ money by spending more than £700,000 on the Rwanda Scheme that “didn’t work.”
State Funds Put To Good Use
In a speech, the Prime Minister said he wanted to allocate £75,000 per month to tackle the illegal immigrant crises.
Funds Sourcing
These funds are said to come from the scrapped Rwanda Scheme. Funding goes toward the new Border Security Command (BSC) and the intelligence and resources needed to eliminate the problem.
Illegal People Smuggling
People have come to the UK in small boats and other forms of transportation. Border security has even found two illegal Vietnamese nationals being smuggled under the bed of a caravan, The Standard reported.
Sent Back to Timor-Leste and Vietnam
Labour’s BSC teams have cracked down on the very first Home Office action to deport illegal asylum seekers, migrants, and other lawbreakers.
A One Way Flight
Nearly 50 illegal foreign nationals were sent with a flight headed to Vietnam and Timor-Leste. The flight took off on the 24th of July and arrived at the destination on the 25th of July.
Action and Progress
Labour’s Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said it was the very first-time action was taken in response to the illegal immigrant crises the country faces.
“Quick” and “Decisive”
According to The Standard, Cooper announced in her speech, “Today’s flight shows the government is taking quick and decisive action to secure our borders and return those with no right to be here.”
Building Relationships With Shared Goals
According to the UK Government, the country is working with other foreign border authorities and, at the same time, building strong relationships. The other countries aim to eliminate “irregular” migration between borders.
Joint Action Plan
The countries working with the UK are also in agreement on the joint action plan to fight human trafficking.
Breakthrough Investigation
A report of a 2020’s case revealed a thwarted attempt by Natalie Sirrell and accomplice Charlotte Smyth to smuggle Vietnamese nationals to the UK. The case led to a larger breakthrough.
Bound for the UK
Sirrell and Smyth were heading for the UK from France, where the caravan was smuggling illegal immigrants, The Independent reported.
A Larger Gang Operation
According to the UK Government, a deeper investigation uncovered Natalie wasn’t working alone but had a brother, Alan Sirrell. Alan, Benjamin Tokeley, and Loughnane were part of a larger smuggling syndicate operating in the UK.
Justice Being Served
The perpetrators were sentenced with Alan Sirrell to serve three and half years in jail. Natalie Sirrel is to serve two years suspended with monitoring and a fine of £500. Charlotte Smyth, two years, suspended.
Breaking Immigration Laws
Tokeley also had to serve a sentence and pleaded guilty. Loughnane was charged with four and a half years behind bars and guilty of conspiring to aid the breaching of UK immigration law.
Clamping Down on Gangs
Home Office North East Command’s Stuart Wilkonson told the press that “teams will continuously work tirelessly to secure our borders…” He added that authorities wanted to put a stop to gangs exploiting vulnerable people to make profits.
Grateful to the Taskforce Teams
Wilkonson expressed his gratitude towards the teams who had worked around the clock on the case.
No Rwanda Scheme Implimentations
Cooper had cancelled Torry’s former plans to send some migrants to Rwanda via the Rwanda scheme. Instead, she scheduled them to be deported to their national country.
Ongoing Progress
Specialised teams will continue working with the UK government to combat visa abuse and send illegal immigrants home, Cooper said.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Sean Aidan Calderbank.