Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama slammed the British government on Wednesday for allegedly “discriminating” against Albanians after a senior British official singled out nationality for its role in illegal migration to the country.
Crossing the English Channel in small boats from mainland Europe has caused a political headache for UK ministers who promised Brexit would result in tighter immigration controls.
Official statistics in the United Kingdom have found that Albanians are now the largest single group crossing the English Channel in small boats.
In a series of messages published on his personal Twitter account, Rama said British officials had been actively “discriminating against” Albanians.
“Targeting Albanians as the cause of Britain’s crime and border problems (as some shamefully did while campaigning for Brexit) is simple rhetoric but ignores hard facts,” Rama tweeted.
“Albanians in the UK work hard and pay taxes. The UK should fight criminal gangs of all nationalities and stop discriminating…to excuse policy failures,” he added.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman was recently criticized for her choice of language during a heated debate in the House of Commons when she claimed there was an “invasion” of migrants in England.
Braverman has also pointed the finger at Albanian asylum seekers, saying that many Albanian adult males seeking asylum in the UK have posed as children, a practice she wanted to “crack down”.
British MPs were recently told that so far this year 12,000 Albanians have arrived in the country after crossing the English Channel, compared with just 50 in 2020.
Migrant arrivals have reached record highs, causing delays in asylum applications and rising costs for housing and other social services.
Albanian organized crime gangs are believed to be among the key players in smuggling migrants from northern Europe across the English Channel to the UK.
Earlier this week, British and Belgian law enforcement officials said they had arrested three people suspected of being part of an Albanian people-smuggling ring.
