The UK government announced additional steps on Wednesday to reduce the number of migrants arriving by boat from France and to accelerate the repatriation of failed asylum seekers.
Britain said 100 new professional intelligence and investigation officers would be recruited to the National Crime Agency (NCA) to assist in dismantling smuggling groups that run the dangerous Channel crossings.
The government also aims over the next six months to achieve the highest rate of deportations of failed asylum seekers for five years.
The goal is to remove more than 14,000 people by the end of the year, according to The Times.
The new Labour government intends to increase detention capacity at removal centres and sanction employers who hire people with no right to work in the UK, the ministry said.
Stopping the small boat arrivals was a key issue in the 4 July election, in which Labour won a thumping majority.
Within days of taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped a controversial scheme to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, which had been a flagship policy of the last Conservative government.
Starmer has also pledged with French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen “cooperation” in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.
Former interior minister James Cleverly, who is running to be the party’s new leader, accused new ministers of failing to “get a grip” on small boat arrivals.
The interior ministry said the NCA is pursuing about 70 investigations against criminal networks involved in people trafficking.
It said the government would issue financial penalty notices, business closure orders and bring possible prosecutions against anyone employing illegal workers.
Enver also urged ministers to focus on providing safe routes to deter small boat crossings, arguing “unless the government also provides safe routes, it won’t succeed”.
