Two Iranian and British Citizens Arrested in Connection with Migrant ‘Channel Crossings’
Reports indicate that British police have arrested an Iranian citizen and a British citizen in connection with the ‘illegal’ transfer of migrants to Britain through the English Channel.
The National Crime Agency announced that a 34-year-old Iranian and a 24-year-old British national have been arrested in Manchester.
The news of the arrest of these two individuals comes as the number of migrants who have crossed the English Channel from France to Britain in recent months has increased significantly.
The Daily Telegraph reported that at least 239 people have managed to reach British soil by crossing the English Channel over the past two months.
The National Crime Agency stated in a statement regarding the arrest of these two individuals that it cannot provide further details as investigations in this matter are ongoing.
In this regard, Sajid Javid, Britain’s Home Secretary, traveled to Dover on Wednesday to meet with border forces and coastal guard personnel.
According to BBC reports, last week 12 migrants were intercepted on Kent’s beaches by border forces after crossing the English Channel.
This comes as Sajid Javid, while supporting tightened British measures to combat migrant crossings through the English Channel, stated: 80 percent of the 539 people who attempted to cross the English Channel in small boats in 2018 have done so over the past three months.
Last week’s increase in the number of people attempting to reach Britain through the English Channel prompted Britain’s Home Secretary to cut short his vacation to return to his office to review the issue. Sajid Javid had said that recent events have become “a serious matter.”
Caroline Nokes, Britain’s Immigration Minister, also said last week that “extensive intelligence operations are underway” to apprehend asylum seekers and migrants in France, where they launch small boats to reach Britain.
The British Immigration Minister, however, emphasized that “human lives are at risk and are rescued wherever necessary.”
According to reports, many asylum seekers and migrants who have reached Calais in France are attempting to cross the English Channel by boat. This is while French and British police forces and border guards have increased surveillance and monitoring on roads, including in the Channel Tunnel.
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