Two thirds of migrants who arrived in small boats and were detained for removal last year claimed they were victims of modern slavery — a move that delayed their deportation, figures show.
The number of people reported as potential victims of modern slavery rose to a record of 4,746 in the first three months of the year, according to Home Office data. It is the highest number recorded in a three-month period since records began in 2009 and was more than a quarter higher than last year.
Albanians continue to be the largest group of people reported to the Home Office’s national referral mechanism for assessing claims of modern slavery. They accounted for 1,452 of all potential victims, 31 per cent of the total. Britons were the second most common, followed by Sudanese. However, unlike other nationalities, the vast majority of Albanians — 81 per cent — were adults.
Government sources attributed the overall rise in claims to a significant increase in those made by small boat migrants. They said the migrants, mainly Albanian, were lodging the claims to avoid deportation.
Anyone who claims to be a victim of modern slavery must have their case assessed before they are removed, with an average of 566 days taken from referral to a “conclusive grounds” decision.
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The Illegal Migration Bill aims to prevent migrants who enter illegally from claiming protection under modern slavery laws. Theresa May, the former prime minister, is attempting to block the measure, arguing that it will “shut the door” to victims of modern slavery and has urged the government to exempt victims.
Home Office figures relating to migrants who crossed the Channel between January and September last year showed that of the 1,305 detained for return, 842 claimed to be victims of modern slavery. This amounted to 65 per cent, compared with 6 per cent in 2019.
The Home Office said that the number detained for return was relatively low but once enforcement activity was expanded, the number of referrals from people awaiting removal “could be substantially higher”. A government source said: “We’ve been very clear about the problems with the scheme and how migrants are gaming the system to frustrate removal. That’s why we’re bringing in changes to ensure that when our bill comes into force we can detain migrants and swiftly remove after they cross the Channel in small boats, while at the same time protecting those who are genuine victims.”
Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for less immigration, said the figures exposed the failure of a deal struck last year to increase the number of illegal migrants returned to Albania. He said: “It is concerning that last December’s agreement has yet to have an impact. Ministers must double down and ensure those who seek to exploit the system know they will be returned home.”
The majority of modern slavery claims — 58 per cent — still led to a “reasonable grounds” decision, which allows the victim to receive support such as accommodation, a weekly allowance, legal aid and counselling before a final decision is made. Of the 3,528 claims that were deemed to have “reasonable grounds” between January and March this year, 75 per cent of them — 2,275 — received a positive “conclusive grounds” decision, meaning they had been assessed as genuine victims of modern slavery.
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The most common reason for referral for adults was labour exploitation, which accounted for 31 per cent of claims, while the most referred category for children was for criminal exploitation. Other reasons cited for referrals included sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and organ harvesting.
Indian migrants, who have made up the second largest group crossing the Channel this year, are paying travel agents up to £10,000 for the clandestine journeys, it has emerged.
An investigation by the Daily Telegraph found that families were selling land and property in India to fund their trips, which involve migrants paying agents to secure a visa to Serbia or Greece before travelling to northern France, where they pay people smugglers about £3,500 to cross the Channel.
