On Tuesday, prime minister Rishi Sunak announced a five-point plan for "tackling illegal immigration". Sunak says that it is "unfair" people come to the UK illegally, and "unfair" that people coming from safe countries take places in the asylum system by applying for sanctuary.
He says people are "right" to be angry about the situation
Mr Sunak says the global asylum framework is "obsolete".
He adds that "hostile states" are using migration as a weapon on the border of Europe, and the effects of climate change are also making more places "uninhabitable".
While praising the UK for its role in taking asylum seekers and vulnerable people, Mr Sunak says "far too many of the beneficiaries" of the UK's generosity are not people fleeing war or persecution - but people coming from "fundamentally safe countries", or travelling through safe nations.
Rishi Sunak then sets out five steps to tackle illegal migration
A new, unified, small boats operational command to prevent the fragmented approach of previous attempts to tackle Channel crossings
Extra resources will be freed up to increase the number of raids carried out by immigration officers
New sites, including disused holiday parks, former student halls and surplus military sites, will be used to house asylum seekers - with 10,000 spaces identified, costing half what is now being spent
The number of asylum caseworkers will be doubled, and the system will be re-engineered to shorten the amount of time taken to process claims - with a promise to abolish the backlog by the end of next year
A new agreement with Albania, including Border Force officers in Tirana Airport, new guidance stating Albania is a safe country, a raising of the threshold someone has to meet to be qualified as a modern slavery victim, an assurance from Albania they will protect genuine people at risk, and a new dedicated unit to process Albanians will be set up - with more than 400 specialists
