Home Office Takes Over Illegal Immigrant Interception Role in English Channel From Royal Navy

Refugee Council report says 6 out of 10 who crossed in 2022 would be granted asylum

An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Royal Navy has ended its role as the official interceptor of small boats carrying illegal immigrants across the English Channel and handed the responsibility back to the Home Office and the UK Border Force.

The end of Operation Isotrope comes as the Refugee Council published a report (pdf) that claimed 6 out of 10 immigrants who crossed in 2022 would be recognised as having the right to asylum if their applications were processed.

Last month a new small boats operational command (SBOC) was created to coordinate Britain’s response and bring together civilian and military personnel and the National Crime Agency.

It will be led by Duncan Capps, a former major general in the British Army who joined the Border Force in December after two years as commandant of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

The Home Office said 730 additional staff will be recruited and the SBOC would use drones, boats, radar, and cameras to track and disrupt people traffickers.

In April 2022 the then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the Royal Navy in charge of intercepting illegal immigrant boats as a temporary measure.

Three months later, armed forces minister James Heappey denied the navy had been reduced to the role of “tour guide” to bring immigrants safely ashore.

He said the navy was proud of its record of making sure no immigrants died in the Channel, but in December four people drowned when their small boat capsized midway between France and England.

UK Government Lauds ‘Significant Landmark’

A government spokesman said the handover of responsibility back to the Home Office was a “significant landmark” and added, “We are building on the progress already made through the new deal with France, and our determination will not waiver until we stop the abuse of the asylum system and bring the smugglers responsible to justice.”

The Home Office says 45,746 people crossed the English Channel in 2022, up from 28,526 in the previous year, and of those 8,700 were children, or claimed to be children.

The question of the age of asylum seekers was highlighted last week when Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai—who claimed to be 14 when he arrived in the UK, when he was in fact 18—was jailed for life for murdering a man in Bournemouth.

The Refugee Council published analysis on Tuesday in which they claimed 25,119 of those illegal immigrants who arrived in 2022 were likely to be allowed to stay in the UK as refugees if their applications were processed.

A migrant arrives in England after being intercepted in the English Channel by the UK Border Force, on Jan. 18, 2022. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

It said 40 percent of them came from just five countries—Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Eritrea, and Sudan.

The asylum grant rate for Eritrea, Syria, and Afghanistan is 98 percent, for Sudan it is 86 percent, and for Iran 82 percent.

The Refugee Council’s report says 15,569 of the small boat passengers were from Albania, which has an asylum grant rate of just 16 percent.

In October, Dan O’Mahoney, the Home Office’s clandestine threat commander, said many Albanian illegal immigrants were “gaming the system” by using the National Referral Mechanism, which covers modern slavery.

But the Refugee Council pointed out there no Ukrainians among the Channel boat people, because 210,800 visas had been issued to Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion.

‘Majority of Refugees ... Have No Choice’

It said such a “safe route” is not available to Eritreans, Syrians, or Afghans and the report says, “This clearly demonstrates that the vast majority of refugees who make dangerous journeys being exploited by ruthless people smugglers have no choice—they do not have access to safe routes to reach the UK. ”

The government is preparing new legislation that would mean immediate detention for anyone entering the UK in a small boat.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “If you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed.”

On Monday the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, announced new restrictions on the right for a person to claim they are a victim of modern slavery.

She said it meant anyone sentenced to 12 months or more, or convicted of serious criminal offences, would be forbidden from claiming protection.

The measures are part of the Nationality and Borders Act.

Braverman said: “We must stop people exploiting our immigration and asylum laws. And I am personally determined to crack down on those abusing the generosity of the British public and taking our country for a ride.”

She said: “It is totally unfair that genuine victims of modern slavery may be left waiting longer to receive the protections they need due to the flagrant abuse of the system. The changes coming into force will mean if you’ve committed an offence, we have the power to refuse your protections and kick you out of our country.”

PA Media contributed to this report.