‘We’re working on first flight to Rwanda’: Priti Patel repeats commitment to clamp down on illegal immigration and says officials are working ‘at pace’ to finalise relocations

  • No10 said it may be months away while Johnson attacked ‘liberal-left lawyers’  
  • Up to 60 migrants crossed yesterday, bringing the week’s total to more than 700
  • Some 696 people arrived by small boat in the first three days of May this year 

Two dozen Albanians were deported yesterday in a move that the Home Secretary said showed her tough approach to the ‘scourge of illegal migration’.

Among them was a man smuggled across the Channel by boat less than two months ago. 

Others on the charter flight included foreign criminals who had been jailed for a total of 56 years, including for firearms and drugs offences as well as assaulting an emergency services worker.

One deportee had reached the UK in the back of a lorry in 2015, while another had overstayed his visa by a year. 

It was the 24th flight this year, with many in recent years disrupted by Covid and legal challenges.

Two dozen Albanians were deported yesterday in a move that the Home Secretary said showed her tough approach to the ‘scourge of illegal migration’

Last night Priti Patel said: ‘This Government is committed to tackling the scourge of illegal migration, and an important element of that is the removal of those with no right to be in the UK. 

‘The British public rightly expect us to crack down hard on those abusing the system, and today’s flight is a demonstration of that.’

She added that Home Office officials ‘are working at pace to finalise our first relocation flight to Rwanda’ amid fears that the policy to deport migrants arriving by dinghy risks being delayed. 

No10 admitted this week the plan may be months away while Boris Johnson attacked ‘liberal-left lawyers’ trying to block it. 

Around 60 migrants crossed the Channel yesterday, bringing the week’s total to more than 700 

Around 60 migrants crossed the Channel yesterday, bringing the week’s total to more than 700. 

Some 696 people arrived by small boat in the first three days of May.

An alleged ‘kingpin’ was arrested in east London on Wednesday. Hewa Rahimpur is believed to be a ‘major player’ in one of the criminal networks that finds boats to take migrants from France to England. 

He is now set to face justice in Belgium where he is wanted by the authorities.

The 29-year-old Iranian appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon as extradition proceedings began.

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