UK Introduces New Law to Target Gangs Promoting Illegal Immigration Online
The UK government has announced a new law to combat criminal gangs that use social media to advertise and facilitate illegal immigration. The legislation, introduced as an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, creates a new UK-wide offense. This offense criminalizes the creation of online content that promotes or offers services that breach Britain's immigration laws, such as advertisements for dangerous small boat crossings, fake documents, or illegal job opportunities.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated the law is a direct response to the "brazen tactics" of people-smuggling gangs. The Home Office has found that about 80% of migrants arriving by small boats used social media to contact an agent or facilitator. The new offense carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years and a substantial fine. While facilitating illegal immigration is already a crime, the government believes this new measure will give law enforcement an additional tool to disrupt these gangs more effectively. The government is also continuing its work with social media companies to remove smugglers' accounts.
This new law is part of a broader strategy to curb illegal immigration, which includes sanctions to target smugglers' assets and increased law enforcement cooperation with countries like France.
I'm Aisha shehu
Talksocialtalka News
