Hundreds of people have been detained in Northern Ireland while trying to enter the United Kingdom from the Republic, part of a targeted operation to disrupt people-smuggling networks.
Criminal gangs are reported to be charging up to £6,600 (€8,000) for illicit travel packages, which they promote as safer alternatives to perilous Channel crossings in small boats, according to immigration officials.
The detentions result from the UK Home Office’s Operation Comby, reports The Guardian, launched in April to reinforce immigration controls already in place under Operation Gull.
The latter is a long-standing collaboration with the Garda Síochána, aimed at preventing abuse of the Common Travel Area (CTA).
The CTA permits passport-free travel for British and Irish citizens between Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
However, it has faced criticism in Ireland amid claims that irregular migrants are exploiting Belfast as a backdoor entry route into the Republic of Ireland.
This week, a three-day Operation Comby initiative focused on movement towards Great Britain, leading to multiple arrests.
The operation involved officers stationed at ports and airports across Northern Ireland, as well as in Manchester, Liverpool, Holyhead, and Cairnryan, the Home Office confirmed.
The Home Office, now led by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, launched Operation Comby in April 2024, under the premiership of Rishi Sunak, to strengthen immigration controls and combat the activities of people-smuggling networks.
The operation intensifies inspections at key points of transit, such as ports and airports in Northern Ireland, as well as major travel hubs in Great Britain, including Manchester, Liverpool, Holyhead, and Cairnryan.
Over a series of targeted crackdowns, Comby has resulted in numerous detentions, disrupting smuggling networks.
Its coordinated efforts aim to safeguard the integrity of the CTA while addressing concerns about irregular migration routes through Northern Ireland.
The lack of routine border checks between Ireland and Northern Ireland creates an opportunity for criminal networks to exploit the system by smuggling individuals into the UK without detection.
Critics argue that this could undermine UK immigration controls, particularly given that once in Northern Ireland, individuals can travel onward to Great Britain via ports and airports with relatively limited scrutiny.
There are also suggestions that migrants, often guided by smugglers, use Belfast as a route into the Republic of Ireland, taking advantage of the border’s openness.
Such activities have raised questions about the robustness of existing immigration enforcement and cooperation between the UK and Ireland in addressing the exploitation of these arrangements by organised crime groups.
On Tuesday, Home Office officials arrested four people attempting to board ferries or planes in Belfast.
Bizarrely, one was an Iranian who apparently travelled from Barcelona to Dublin posing as a Ukrainian.