Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania has accused the United Kingdom of using Albanians as scapegoats to justify its “failed policies” on borders and migration.
He told that Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s comments regarding the invasion of the United Kingdom will encourage xenophobia.
Mr. Rama stated that the United Kingdom was once a model for integrating minorities, but that it is now a “madhouse.”
The Home Office stated that it was collaborating with Albania to combat illicit migration.
Ms. Braverman, who has received criticism at home and abroad, is scheduled to visit Dover shortly after stating she would visit an overcrowded immigration processing center in Manston, Kent “soon.”
The home secretary is not expected to accept questions from the media in Dover, where a firebomb attack last week targeted an immigration facility.
Ms. Braverman, who stated on Monday that southern England faces an “invasion” of migrants, has also accused “many” Albanians of “violating our contemporary slavery rules.”
MPs were informed this week that 12,000 Albanians have entered the United Kingdom by crossing the English Channel this year, compared to 50 in 2020.
10,000 of them were men, representing 1% of the adult male population of Albania.
Albanians are currently the largest group crossing the English Channel on tiny boats.
Mr. Rama stated that Ms. Braverman’s comment about an “invasion” was “insane” and that he found it “difficult not to react”
He continued, “It’s not about an individual. It is about the environment that has been established and about seeking scapegoats and placing blame on others.
“It’s not about Albanians or foreigners or thugs; it’s about failed border and crime policies.
“This type of rhetoric does not constitute a policy, a program, or a vision. It is nothing more than fomenting xenophobia and singling out a community.
“I admire all Britain stands for. But I am truly sickened by this style of politics, which is guaranteed to fail in the end.
It follows Mr. Rama’s earlier statement claiming the United Kingdom was “discriminating” against Albanians to divert attention from “policy failings.”
A spokesperson for the Home Office stated that the government had collaborated closely with Albania on a variety of issues, including illegal migration, and that the readmissions agreement between the two countries had resulted in the return of more than one thousand Albanian foreign national offenders and others.
“Working together, we will continue to exploit every chance to thwart the actions of organized criminal organizations and human traffickers,” they continued.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, when asked about Mr. Rama’s remarks, stated that he desired a “constructive relationship” with the Albanian Prime Minister.
“However, it is also true that Albania is a safe country, and the vast majority of Albanian immigrants are young men,” he told ITV.
“This is a prime example of the type of economic migrants that we as a nation should do everything possible to deter,” he continued.
“Abhorrent term”
Mr. Jenrick stated last week that the administration is considering establishing a “tailored route” for Albanians to have their immigration cases considered more swiftly so they can be repatriated to Albania if their claims are denied.
However, Mr. Jenrick stated that the United Kingdom must prioritize those in “real peril.
Mr. Jenrick stated, “I want to have a positive and fruitful connection with our Albanian friends.” “However, indeed, a quarter of the people who have arrived in tiny boats this year have come from Albania, and the NCA, our National Crime Organisation, has stated that a large amount of serious organized crime emanates from these individuals.”
Ms. Braverman agreed with Conservative MP Lee Anderson on Monday that “Albanian criminals” were leaving a safe country to come to the United Kingdom.
He stated that if the accommodations in the United Kingdom were inadequate, they could “get in a dinghy and return to France immediately.”
Mr. Rama accused the home secretary on Twitter of engaging in “rhetoric of crime that ultimately punishes the innocent.”
United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk has also criticized Ms. Braverman’s “invasion,” remarks, stating that “invasion” is “a bad phrase” and that politicians must ensure that their language does not “stoke the flames of human rights issues.”
Currently, the vast majority of those being deported to Albania are convicted felons who have fulfilled their jail terms – individuals who would be expected to be deported under long-standing agreements.
These are not the same individuals who crossed the English Channel in recent months in search of asylum or to register accusations of human trafficking.
Even though the Home Office considers Albania to be a safe nation, a legitimate asylum petition must be evaluated.
This implies that these individuals will not be deported until they have exhausted the legal procedure and lost their case, which might take years.
The Home Office has a massive backlog of 101 000 pending asylum cases. The backlog has increased as caseworkers take longer and longer to decide cases. It has been getting worse for four years, and it is unclear what the four home secretaries have done to address it.
As a result, immigration policy specialists and the prime minister of Albania agree that the situation in Kent was caused by the government.
The United Kingdom considers Albania to be a “safe country” and lists it as a “designated state” under British law, indicating that there is normally “no substantial fear of persecution” for persons living there.
Nonetheless, it is believed that some Albanian migrants file asylum claims because they were trafficked into the United Kingdom.
Currently, Albanians are the most frequently referred nationality for anti-trafficking assistance in the United Kingdom.
Harjap Bhangal, an immigration attorney, told that gangs were “targeting” Albanians, resulting in a large number of Albanians traveling to the United Kingdom.
“Gangs target Albanians, telling them, ‘Well, hold on, you want a better life. We can help you apply for asylum in the United Kingdom,’ Mr. Bhangal replied.
In the year leading up to June, approximately 7,627 Albanians sought asylum in the United Kingdom, more than double the number from the previous year.
The current rate of granting asylum to Albanians is 53%, whereas the rate for other nations is 76%.
However, the most recent statistics will not reflect the vast majority of people who have arrived this year, as very few of them will have had their asylum claims reviewed.
From January through June of 2022, 440 individuals were repatriated to Albania from immigration detention centers. Almost all were adult single men.
Albanians also constituted the biggest proportion of deported foreign criminals in the year leading up to March 2022.
Earlier at Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak acknowledged that insufficient asylum claims were being processed and committed to reforming the system.
Only 4% of individuals who crossed the Channel in tiny boats in 2021 have obtained judgments on their asylum petitions, lawmakers were informed last week.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, alleged that the government had lost control.
So far in 2022, about 40,000 individuals have crossed the Channel in tiny boats, the largest amount since records began to be kept in 2018.
Ministers have blamed a recent rise in migrant crossings for the extreme congestion and deplorable conditions at the Manston migration processing station in Kent. Ms. Braverman has been under pressure to address these issues.
Mr. Jenrick has revealed that the Home Office faces the possibility of a legal challenge about the Manston center, but he has not to disclose who is behind it.
He told Sky News that the department had received “first contact” for a judicial review, which could lead to a judge determining whether the government behaved lawfully.
The conditions in Manston could lead to violence, according to council leaders in Kent, who warned that the county was at “breaking point” due to the weight of housing migrants.
