From Wednesday the UK could sanction small boat criminals who are being paid millions a year to help migrants cross the English Channel illegally.
Any assets that are held in the UK will be frozen including bank accounts and there will be a travel ban to Britain.
The Foreign Office will trigger the first wave of sanctions on Wednesday on the smuggling gangs and companies who are involved with selling small boats, motors and other equipment.
There is a three step plan to “disrupt, deter and return” to tackle illegal immigration as in the past year more than 35,000 have entered the UK.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Tuesday that this will be the first of its kind to target the criminal networks helping migrants across the Channel.
Property, banks and any other assets that are in the UK will be frozen and those caught will be publicly named and shamed.
Lammy said, ”For too long, criminal gangs have been lining their corrupt pockets and preying on the hopes of vulnerable people with impunity as they drive irregular migration to the UK. We will not accept this status quo.”
He added, “That’s why the UK has created the world’s first sanctions regime targeted at gangs involved in people smuggling and driving irregular migration, as well as their enablers. From tomorrow, those involved will face having their assets frozen, being shut off from the UK financial system and banned from travelling to the UK..
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said, “The new sanctions regime marks a decisive step in our fight against the criminal gangs who profit from human misery. It will allow us to target the assets and operations of people-smugglers wherever they operate, cutting off their funding and dismantling their networks piece by piece.
Through the Border Security Command and key partners like the National Crime Agency, we are strengthening our ties with other nations to tackle this global problem.
Together, we are sending a clear message that there is no hiding place for those who exploit vulnerable people and put lives at risk for profit.
