LONDON: Britain says people who advertise fake passports or people-smuggling services on social medial could face up to five years in prison, in the government’s latest effort to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
The government said Sunday that anyone convicted of creating online materials intended to break UK immigration law will face prison time and a large fine.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the aim was to stop the “brazen tactics on social media” used by smuggling gangs.
“Selling the false promise of a safe journey to the UK and a life in this country — whether on or offline — simply to make money, is nothing short of immoral,” she said.
Assisting illegal immigration to the UK is already a crime, but officials believe a new offense — part of a border security bill currently going through Parliament — will give police and prosecutors more powers to disrupt gangs that send migrants on perilous journeys across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
