The United Kingdom has decided to take tough sanctions against gangs responsible for irregular migration, A2 CNN reports. In an official statement, the British embassy in our country announced that starting from Wednesday, anyone involved in helping to smuggle people into the United Kingdom could face sanctions.
“Under a new regime targeting the income and materials that enable irregular migration, targeted individuals will face asset freezes, exclusion from the UK financial system and a travel ban to the UK. The new sanctions are the latest tool in the UK’s arsenal to secure borders, reduce irregular migration and implement the Change Agenda. Anyone who helps smuggle people into the UK will risk having their assets frozen and a travel ban to the UK, under new powers announced by the Foreign Secretary today [Tuesday, 22 July],” the announcement said.
Sanctions will be imposed on gangs involved in people smuggling and encouraging irregular migration to the UK, but also on their enablers, such as financiers and companies involved in selling equipment for small boats.
“These plans are a prime example of the FCDO’s use of innovative foreign policy approaches to deliver the ‘Plan for Change’ for the British people. This regime will be the first in the world dedicated to cracking down on people smuggling and organised migration crime, where vulnerable people are exploited by criminals and their networks, a key driver of irregular migration to the UK. Migrants who pay smugglers also face a high risk of working in conditions of modern slavery, being returned to their country of origin or losing their lives at sea,” the British embassy said.
According to the embassy, the sanctions could cut off the flow of money and materials, including freezing property, bank accounts and other assets, that enable organised crime gangs to facilitate irregular migration to the UK. “The sanctions are designed to target individuals anywhere in the world who will be publicly named so that it is illegal for the UK financial system to deal with them.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “For too long, criminal gangs have lined their corrupt pockets and exploited the hopes of vulnerable people with impunity, while encouraging irregular migration to the UK. We will not accept this. It is our moral duty, and a key part of the Plan for Change, to do everything we can to dismantle these gangs and secure Britain’s borders. That is why the UK has created the world’s first sanctions regime against gangs involved in people smuggling and encouraging irregular migration, as well as their enablers. From tomorrow, those involved will face asset freezes, exclusion from the UK financial system and a travel ban to the UK.”
According to official figures, during 2024, the number of people who arrived in the United Kingdom by crossing the English Channel in small boats was 36,816 migrants. This represents a 25% increase compared to 2023 (29,437) and is the second highest number since data collection began in 2018. For the first half of 2025 (January–June) the Home Office recorded 19,982 migrants who crossed the Channel in small boats for the period January–June 2025. This is the highest level for the first half of a year since 2018 and represents a 48% increase compared to the same period in 2024 (13,489). (A2 Televizion)