A UK Border Force official has been arrested on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant from the Balkans, with three others being arrested as part of a corruption probe.
According to a report from The Sun, the Border Force official is suspected of being an illegal immigrant by way of lying about his country of origin. Currently in his late 30s, he arrived in the UK as a teenager from the Balkans, and was eventually given the right to remain and work in the country.
While the specific details of his arrest are not known, at the time of his arrival, hundreds of young men from Albania flooded into the UK, claiming to be from the neighbouring partially-recognised state of Kosovo, which would have granted them the right to asylum.
So far this year, over 45,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats. In August, it was revealed that almost 40% of the most recent migrants making the crossing are from Albania, with many of them claiming asylum, despite the fact that the country is not at war.
A Border Force official has been arrested for being an illegal immigrant.
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“Allowing an alleged illegal migrant to infiltrate the ranks of your border agency is pretty embarrassing,” a top Home Office source told The Sun. “With the eyes of the whole country on Border Force at the moment, this is the last thing they need.”
The alleged illegal migrant was arrested with three others as part of a corruption probe, with three working directly at the immigration centre in Dover.
“On December 6, the Home Office Anti-Corruption Unit arrested four members of immigration staff on suspicion of misconduct in public office and conspiracy to steal,” a Home Office spokesman said in a statement. “They have been released pending further investigation and were immediately suspended.”
Jack Hadfield / Valiant News
“One officer arrested as part of the conspiracy had previously been arrested and bailed on immigration offences,” the statement continued. “We expect the highest standards of our staff. As soon as we are made aware of allegations of wrongdoing, they are rigorously investigated and we do not hesitate in taking decisive action.”
As Valiant News reported, the Conservative government introduced the Nationality and Borders Act earlier this year, which, among other measures, created the new offence of “knowingly arriving without permission,” in order to deter the increasing number of illegal migrants illegally crossing the English Channel in small boats.
However, despite going into force on June 28 this year, only 96 illegal migrants were arrested on suspicion of creating the new crime once they had crossed the Channel. The figures, revealed to the BBC following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, also noted that only 78 of those arrested were actually charged, and of those, 56 migrants were convicted.
