A former senior immigration official has delivered a stark assessment of Britain’s ongoing migrant crisis as the number of migrants crossing the Channel this year surpasses 25,000.
Kevin Saunders, who previously served as Chief Immigration Officer at UK Border Force, warned that the figure could increase substantially before the year ends.
“We have hit the 25,000 migrant mark, and I reckon by the end of the year we could see an awful lot more than that,” he told GB News.
Saunders launched a scathing critique of the Prime Minister’s approach to the crisis, arguing that Government statements fail to match reality on the ground.
PA / GB News
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Kevin Saunders has criticised Keir Starmer’s ‘inconsistent’ action in tackling Britain’s migrant crisis
“Keir Starmer, he talks very well, but his actions are not consistent with what he’s saying,” the former border chief stated.
He revealed that smuggling networks actively counter Government messaging, promising arrivals they will find Britain to be “the land of milk and honey.” According to Saunders, these criminal groups are proving correct in their assurances.
“They’re going to get their hotel rooms, they’re going to get money, they’re going to get everything,” he explained, highlighting how current support provisions remain unchanged despite political rhetoric.
The former immigration chief exposed a critical flaw in Britain’s enforcement system, revealing that officers successfully locate individuals with no right to remain but cannot detain them.
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“Immigration enforcement teams are doing a sterling job. They’re going around to places, and they’re finding people who shouldn’t be in the UK,” Saunders explained.
However, he identified a fundamental obstacle preventing removals. “The trouble is, they have very limited detention space.
“So basically they’re capturing them, taking them to the local police station, and then they’re having to be released because there’s nowhere to put them.”
This catch-and-release cycle renders enforcement efforts futile. “And that’s it, that’s the last we see of them,” he concluded.
GB News
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Saunders told GB News that the French must ‘pull their finger out’ in helping tackle the small boats
Saunders advocated for centralised accommodation facilities as a more practical solution than the current dispersed hotel system.
He pointed to military sites as cost-effective alternatives, citing his own calculations. “I did the sums for the one up here near where I live, and it was a lot cheaper, but it’s not politically acceptable, so they didn’t,” he revealed.
The former official specifically referenced Wethersfield as an example where housing 400 individuals together proves more efficient than distributing them across numerous hotels nationwide.
Despite the economic advantages, Saunders suggested political considerations prevent the adoption of such consolidated accommodation strategies.