The UK imposed sanctions Wednesday on more than two dozen people, groups and suppliers from the Balkans, the Middle East and China accused of helping migrants cross the Channel.
In what it called a “landmark” first use of new powers, the move came as the government faces political pressure to stem migrant arrivals on small boats from northern France, at record levels.
The asset freezes and travel bans announced target individuals and entities “driving irregular migration to the UK”, and include four “gangs” and “gangland bosses” operating in the Balkans, the Foreign Office said.
They also hit a small boat supplier in China, so-called “hawala” money movers in the Middle East, and seven alleged people-smugglers linked to Iraq.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy called it “a landmark moment in the government’s work to tackle organised immigration crime” impacting the UK.
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office a year ago promising to curb the journeys by “smashing the gangs” that facilitate the crossings, but he has struggled to deliver.
Nearly 24,000 migrants have made the perilous journey across the Channel so far in 2025, the highest ever tally at this point in a year.
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As part of its strategy to curb new arrivals, the government is also cracking down on illegal working, which European neighbours cite as a “pull factor” for UK-bound migrants.
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Meanwhile in another new tactic, artificial intelligence technology will be trialled to assess disputed ages of asylum-seekers who claim to be children, the interior ministry said Tuesday.
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In all, it sanctioned 20 individuals, four gangs — two Balkan groups and two of North African origin operating in the Balkans — and Chinese firm Weihai Yamar Outdoor Product Co.
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