A leading immigration lawyer has branded new Government legislation aimed at tackling small boat crossings as “just another gimmick” that will fail to address the root causes of the crisis.
Ivon Sampson told GB News that the 78-page bill demonstrates that the Government “wants to be seen to be doing something” rather than implementing effective solutions.
The specialist lawyer warned that the new measures would prove ineffective against the criminal gangs orchestrating Channel crossings.
“The people who are organising this will never land on British soil. How do we prosecute somebody who’s never going to be in the UK?” Sampson said.
Ivon Sampson said Yvette Cooper’s latest migration pledges are ‘another gimmick’
GB News
In an exclusive interview with GB News’s Christopher Hope, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper unveiled the Government’s latest plans to tackle migration, claiming that people traffickers have had it their way “for far too long”.
Cooper stated: “The plan for change the Prime Minister set out before Christmas is clear about that it needs to reduce illegal migration. And that means tackling and preventing these dangerous boat crossings.
“So, this new law [Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill] will bring in counter-terror style powers to go after the criminal gangs, because they are undermining our border security. They’re putting lives at risk. And frankly, they have been getting away with it for far too long.”
Reacting to the latest plans, Sampson emphasised that the criminal networks behind the crossings operate beyond the reach of British jurisdiction.
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The lawyer explained that while the legislation imposes harsh penalties, it would mainly affect low-level participants rather than the masterminds.
“If somebody hands a mobile phone to somebody and they use that to help them cross, they could be prosecuted under this new legislation and face 14 years in jail,” Sampson said.
He stressed that targeting individual gangs would prove futile, as new criminal networks quickly emerge to take their place. “There is no centralised gang. As soon as you stop one gang, another will come in its place,” he said.
Sampson criticised the creation of a new “border command position” within the legislation as unnecessary bureaucracy. “You don’t need legislation to do that, the Home Secretary creates that post anyway,” he said.
Sampson told GB News that Britain needs to ‘push the French’
GB News
The new rules could see individuals prosecuted for handling boat parts or other equipment related to Channel crossings.
However, Sampson argued these measures would fail to reach the true orchestrators of the smuggling operations, who remain safely outside UK territory.
“We need to push the French, it’s their border, they’ve got to control their border,” he said, emphasising the need for enhanced cooperation with French authorities.
He stressed that preventing departures from French shores is crucial to stopping crossings. “We’ve got to have an agreement with the French authorities to stop people getting out in the first place. That is the only way,” Sampson said.
The lawyer also highlighted the critical need for safe and legal routes into the UK. He referenced former opposition criticism of the Government’s approach to legal pathways.
“It’s because there are no safe and legal routes, it is why people take the risk,” he explained. Sampson concluded that “deterrent measures will make no difference” in preventing risky Channel crossings.
