Border police are cracking down on gangs exploiting a “backdoor” into Britain away from the small boats crisis on the Channel.
Criminal networks are increasingly using the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland as an alternative smuggling route, after GB News revealed the loophole was becoming a “migrant magnet” late last year.
As such, a coordinated three-day enforcement operation targeting the Irish “back-entry route” was launched.
Recent raids have resulted in 32 immigration offenders being detained at seaports and airports connecting Britain and Ireland.
The crackdown was led by the Domestic Organised Immigration Crime taskforce under DCC Wendy Gunney, working alongside Immigration Enforcement, Border Force, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and regional police forces.
Officers flooded multiple locations, including Holyhead, Loch Ryan in Scotland, Heysham in Lancashire, and Birkenhead on Merseyside.
The UK has launched a crackdown on mignats expoting a loophole in Britain’s border
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At Holyhead, Britain’s second busiest passenger ferry terminal, officers deployed live facial recognition technology to screen travellers as they passed through the terminal building.
The system captured facial measurements of passengers and cross-referenced them against a watchlist of known immigration offenders.
“The Common Travel Area is exploited by criminal gangs as a back-entry route into the UK, so our operation is about making our borders as robust as they can be,” DCC Wendy Gunney explained.
Lorries entering the port were also inspected for hidden migrants and illegal goods, with additional vehicle checks conducted beside the A55 motorway near the town.
Migrants are crossing over the porous Northern Irish border and into Great Britain
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DCC Gunney noted that organised crime groups exploit the CTA not only for people smuggling but also for trafficking drugs and black market merchandise.
She described the threat level from the Common Travel Area as increasing, per the Daily Mail.
Ben Thomas, Regional Lead for Immigration Enforcement, said the operation had delivered “swift justice” to immigration offenders exploiting the CTA.
Among those detained was a man from Lesotho with an extensive criminal record in Ireland, including a domestic violence charge sought by Irish authorities.
He lacked valid permission to be in the UK and was promptly handed over to Irish officials.
Four Pakistani nationals travelling from Belfast to Birmingham airport were discovered without proper UK visas.
All four had pending asylum applications but had violated their reporting requirements by journeying to Northern Ireland, resulting in their claims being cancelled.
During a roadside stop on the A55 in North Wales, officers identified an Indian national who had overstayed his visa following a rejected asylum application. He was also suspected of unlawful employment with a delivery firm.
‘We are continuing to deliver in our fight against those who attempt to make a mockery of our borders,’ Border minister Alex Norris said
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The Home Office indicated that deportation proceedings were underway for the Indian man, with potential fines facing the company that allegedly employed him illegally.
The CTA arrangement permits British and Irish citizens to travel freely between both nations without passport controls, though photo identification is required and spot checks occur regularly.
Previous incidents highlight the scale of the problem. In 2024, fourteen Albanian nationals were discovered concealed inside a livestock vehicle that had crossed from Northern Ireland to the British mainland.
Alex Norris, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, said: “We are continuing to deliver in our fight against those who attempt to make a mockery of our borders.”