New boss for both Border Force and Immigration Enforcement to deal with asylum seekers in Dover
13:52, 29 June 2021
updated: 15:06, 29 June 2021
Border Force and Immigration Enforcement will come under one boss as part of Priti Patel's reforms.
The Home Office says there will be one director general to ensure closer alignment between teams, strengthen UK orders and enforcement services and ensure the implementation of the Home Secretary’s New Plan for Immigration.
From this the present director generals, Paul Lincoln for Border Force and Tyson Hepple for Immigration Enforcement, are leaving.
A Home Office spokesman said: "Their dedication and professionalism have made them both excellent leaders and I know they will both be missed by many people here."
The new boss will be called the director general for Borders and Enforcement and the Home Office stresses that there are no plans to merge the two brands.
Recruitment to fill the post begins shortly and interim arrangements will be announce before a permanent top man or woman takes over.
Meanwhile attempted Channel crossings by asylum seekers continue almost every day with UK authorities dealing with a total 312 people over three days recently.
The Home Office said there were 11 incidents at sea involving 192 people on Saturday.
The next day it was three cases with 13 people and yesterday (Monday) it was four incidents with 107.
In these cases suspected asylum seekers on small craft were rescued in the English Channel by the Border Force and brought to Dover Western Docks for interview and processing.
Meanwhile French patrols stopped 12 attempted crossings involving a total 246 people in those three days.
On Saturday there were five different incidents involving 105 people, the next day there were five cases and 101 people and yesterday there were two interceptions involving 40 people.
Asylum seekers in small boats have landed in other parts of east Kent such as the Deal area and Romney Marsh.
There has been months of controversy about housing them in Napier Barracks in Folkestone, which has only just now been suspended by the Home Office.
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