According to the latest figures, 91% of Albanians who claimed to be victims of modern-day slavery when they arrived in Britain across the English Channel remain pending a full investigation into their claims by the Home Office. , are allowed to stay in the country. .
On October 26, Dan O’Mahony, the Interior Ministry’s secret channel threat commander, told the Home Affairs Commission that 12,000 Albanian migrants have crossed the strait this year, up from 800 in 2021. He claims to have been a victim of human trafficking or modern-day slavery.
Under the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), people who claim to be victims of human trafficking or modern slavery cannot be deported until their claims are investigated.
Interior Ministry data released on Thursday found that 91% of Albanians had a “reasonable reason” to be accepted by the NRM, with the average application taking 561 days to process, during which Accommodation and meals were provided. , Legal Aid, and Counseling.
O’Mahoney, who met Home Secretary Suela Braverman during a visit to the Manston processing center in Kent on Thursday, told the commission many Albanians were “deliberately staking the system.”
he said: I’m going back to Albania. ”
O’Mahoney added, “They can do that because the asylum system and the NRM system make it very easy.”
Ministers also allege that the Modern Slavery Act is being abused by illegal immigrants to avoid deportation.
Albanians make up 28.6% of all allegations of modern slavery, up from 14% in 2020.
In the third quarter of this year, a record 4,586 people claimed to be victims of modern slavery, and 1,310 were from Albania.
Braverman told Commons on Monday, “If these people are truly victims of modern-day slavery, they should claim its protection in Albania.”
She also called the immigration crisis an “aggression”, which was quickly criticized by Albanian Prime Minister Eddi Rama, who wrote on Twitter: The problem becomes simple rhetoric, but hard facts are ignored. ”
He later told the BBC that he was “really sick of this kind of politics that is ultimately doomed to failure”.
However, Rama also confirmed that Albania was a “safe country of origin” and suggested there was no reason for Albanians to seek asylum in the UK or elsewhere.
follow
Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist with a wide range of national coverage, with a particular interest in crime, police and law.