How huge numbers of illegal migrants are really entering UK through 'weak link' backdoor

Illegal immigrants are routinely sneaking into England and Scotland from Northern Ireland by "abusing the Common Travel Area (CTA)", the Home Office has admitted.

A crackdown on people-smuggling gangs and others exploiting the CTA has led to the recent arrest of 31 people who had made it to multiple locations across the UK.

British and Irish citizens do not need to show passports to travel from southern Ireland into Northern Ireland or onwards to Scotland or England.

EU citizens and those from Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein or Switzerland, also do not need to show passports to enter Northern Ireland from southern Ireland and are not always asked for ID to travel onwards to other UK destinations.

Anyone else should have to show passports, but there are fears smuggling gangs are sending people with fake EU documents to travel from southern to northern Ireland or are just hoping people will not be stopped.

It is seen as the new "weak link" in UK border control due to the seemingly lax checks.

As a result, Immigration Enforcement teams, alongside UK police forces and international partners, descended on locations in the UK including Belfast, Scotland, Liverpool and Luton as part of a three-day operation.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Checks were conducted at major ports, airports, and road networks across the country, targeting illegal migration and disrupting smuggling routes.

"Ruthless criminal gangs, operating both in the UK and internationally, often exploit vulnerable migrants, charging them thousands of pounds to enter the UK illegally, luring them with false promises of a better life."

During the operation, £400,000 of criminal cash and 10 fraudulent identity documents were seized.

The spokesperson added: "These documents, which are critical tools used by people-smuggling gangs, enable them to evade immigration controls.

"Created by criminal networks, counterfeit documents allow migrants to bypass border checks, trapping vulnerable people in further illegal activities.

"By exploiting these people, the gangs not only profit but also place them at risk of severe legal and personal consequences."

The multi-agency operation was led by Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigations team in Northern Ireland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the National Crime Agency (NCA), other UK police forces, and international partners.

The spokesperson said the operation was part of a national effort to stop irregular migration and human trafficking at key entry points across the UK, as the government works to tackle people-smuggling gangs and bring those exploiting vulnerable people to justice.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “This government will not stand by as criminal gangs exploit vulnerable people, risking their lives and giving them false hopes of a better life in the UK.

"Driven by greed, these gangs have no regard for human life or safety, charging outrageous fees, preying on those desperate to escape hardship, and forcing them into illegal and dangerous situations.

“We are taking the fight to them on all fronts under the leadership of our new Border Security Commander.

"Dismantling the business models of these gangs does not just apply to the small boats trade – we are also stamping out other routes into the UK to bring them to justice and slash their profits.”

Home Office Immigration Enforcement Inspector, Jonathan Evans, said: “This operation has been a huge success and sends a clear message that the smuggling gangs who break our laws will face serious consequences.

“We are taking action day in, day out to ensure we stay a step ahead of these criminal groups, disrupting them at the earliest possible stage. We will continue working relentlessly to ensure no one abuses the Common Travel Area or the UK's borders.

“I’m incredibly proud of our teams across the country, as well as our partners from the police, the National Crime Agency, and international counterparts, for their hard work and collaboration in carrying out this important operation.”

But, the Home Office has still refused to release details of how many illegal migrants have used the CTA to enter the UK.

In June, Express.co.uk revealed there were fears over the route after the Home Office admitted that only a third of illegal migrants came via the perilous Channel crossings.

Campaigners then called for transparency from the Government on how all asylum seekers are entering the country.

Figures released by the Home Office showed that in the year to March 2024, only 34 per cent of asylum claims were made by migrants who made the crossing of the Channel.

A Home Office report said: "The majority of small boat arrivals claim asylum, but small boat arrivals accounted for just 34 per cent of the total number of people claiming asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2024.

"Asylum seekers use a variety of routes to travel to the UK, including arrival on a legal visa route (i.e. with valid leave to enter),

arrival on regular routes, but using fraudulent documents, arrival via clandestine routes, such as small boats, lorries or shipping containers, and arrival through the common travel area without valid permission to enter."

The report said that many asylum seekers had been in the UK for some time, before applying for asylum, amid claims it was not safe for them to return once a legal visa had expired.

Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, called on the Home Office to publish the figures for the sake of transparency amid fears the common travel area could be a new weak link.

He said: “This is an all too frequent occurrence that does a disservice to the public and stymies democracy. The obduracy and stonewalling of the Home Office when it comes to releasing data that we have a right to know is frustrating. Perhaps we should expect it from a once great department of state that’s become dysfunctional, inefficient and ineffective.

"The common travel area is an obvious gap that has been found by both traffickers and migrants. We used to work closely with the Irish even before we joined the EU. Since Brexit, and the Windsor agreement it has clearly got worse. Unless it’s plugged it will become worse still. Perhaps that’s why the HO is reluctant to reveal the data."