UK signs deal with Iraq to tackle smugglers problem in Europe | Immigration and Asylum

Keir Starmers' government is set to tackle smugglers across Europe as new figures show net immigration to the UK hit a record high of almost 1 million during Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunaks' term as chancellor. A contract was signed with Iraq.

According to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the agreement will mean working closely with Iraqi intelligence and police to tackle organized crime networks, the rapid return of rejected asylum seekers and the creation of a new task force.

The government said at least $800,000 of the British government's funding will be used for training, support for the Kurdish regional government and fighting organized crime.

Smuggling networks operating from Iraq and Kurdistan have been responsible for trafficking thousands of people across the Channel to the UK, according to the Home Office.

The deal will be of concern to human rights groups after reports of torture and unlawful executions of detainees by Iraqi security forces. The LSE Middle East Center described corruption as the lifeblood of Iraqi politics.

The Iraq deal follows praise from Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for the remarkable progress he has made in reducing illegal migration across the Mediterranean.

Italy reached an agreement with Albania last November to host two centers where people could be housed while their asylum applications are processed.

Melonis' government also signed a deal with Tunisia, providing support to Tunisia in exchange for doing more to stop refugees leaving the North African country to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy.

Updated estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the revised figures show the number of people entering the UK minus those leaving reached 906,000 in the financial year ending June 2023. This was revised upward from the previous estimate of 740,000.

Graph showing net immigration to the UK from 2012 to 2024

Net immigration records were previously expected to be 764,000 for the year to December 2022. This estimate has also been revised and now stands at 872,000.

But net immigration is falling, according to the most recent figures, falling 20% ​​to 728,000 in the financial year ending June 2024.

The figures come a day after the Tories' new leader, Kemi Badenoch, admitted his party had failed on migration.

Downing Street said statistics showed the government had inherited a situation from the previous government, which had effectively run the UK as an experiment with open borders, and that this had been caused by policies and decisions taken by the previous government.

Prime Minister Cooper visited Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) this week and signed a series of cooperation agreements, the Home Office said.

The UK, Iraq and the KRI will act in accordance with their commitments to international and humanitarian law and international human rights standards, the Home Office said.

“There are gangs of smugglers who profit from dangerous small boat crossings that extend their reach into northern France, Germany, across Europe, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and beyond,” Cooper said. Organized criminals operate across borders, so law enforcement must also operate across borders.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures published on Thursday showed the total net migration figure for the year to June 2023 was revised upward by 166,000 from an earlier estimate of 740,000.

Similar changes have been made to estimates of net immigration through December 2023. Initially estimated at 685,000, the number is now estimated at 866,000, an increase of 181,000.

The ONS said net immigration was now starting to decline, although it remained high by historical standards.

Home Office data shows government spending on asylum in the UK was $5.38 billion in 2023-24, up 36% from $3.95 billion in 2022-23.

ONS continues to review net migration figures as more complete data becomes available and improves the way it estimates the immigration behavior of people arriving in the UK from outside the EU.

Better analysis of the number of people coming to the UK during the Ukraine conflict was also considered.

According to a statement from the ONS: Estimates for this release have been updated back to YE. [the year ending] For example, net migration was revised upward to 166,000 for June YE 2023 and 181,000 for December YE 2023. The reasons for these revisions include: more available data, more information on Ukraine visas, and improved methods for estimating non-immigrant migration – EU nationals.

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