Asylum seekers who enter the UK illegally on small boats crossing the English Channel are trying to claim benefits from England and Northern Ireland, basically doubling their benefits.
An Afghan migrant who crossed the Channel last month from France applied for asylum on 16 June, a few weeks later he flew from Manchester to Belfast then onto Dublin and made another application for benefits whilst he was staying in Ireland.
He returned back to the UK as part of “Operation Sonnet” which saw the Garda National Immigration Bureau’s (GNIB) which prevents asylum seekers travelling from Britain to Ireland.
Speaking to The Times a GNIB officer said, “He was most likely going to claim asylum at the International Protection Office in Dublin.”
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The officer added, that the Afghan migrant would have been one of many who travel to and fro Britain and Ireland to double up on taxpayers funded benefits.
Since “Operation Sonnet” started a total of 443 migrants have been returned back to Britain since the start of 2024 by the GNIB.
The GNIB said another asylum seeker was found trying to enter Ireland who had three mobile phones and his asylum status said he is Pakistani despite being an Afghan national.
The office said, “He had nothing to prove that he was an Afghan asylum seeker here.
“He wouldn’t open his phone to prove who he was and kept putting in the wrong number.
“We said to him, ‘Look, you’re going back to the UK anyway, we just need to send you back with your correct identity.’
“He did open a phone and he had photographs of his Pakistani passport.”
“We’ve passed that information on to the Department of Social Protection and he’ll be cut off,” another officer added.
Yesterday, they cut off 15 people because of this checkpoint.
The Home Office said, “This Government is committed to taking down the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people in order to make quick cash, and we work closely with Ireland to support them on border security.”
This includes a joint commitment to protect the CTA from abuse, which is delivered through joint work to identify and tackle illegal migration trends as they emerge.
A spokesperson for the GNIB said, “There is extensive engagement, and cooperation at all levels between officials in the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and Home Office counterparts, as well as significant operational cooperation between the Gardaí, UK Border Force, UK policing services and the Police Service of Northern Ireland in relation to both immigration and criminal matters.
This strong practical engagement and cooperation serves the mutual interests of both Ireland and the UK, and will continue.
