A coordinated effort between the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and social media platforms Meta, TikTok, X and YouTube has resulted in the removal of nearly 12,000 posts, pages, and accounts used to advertise the services of people smugglers. This initiative, established in December 2021, targets criminals who exploit economic migrants and refugees seeking entry into the UK, often resulting in dangerous small boat crossings of the English Channel.
The NCA’s focus on disrupting these criminal activities includes working closely with social media companies to prevent organised crime groups from utilizing their platforms. The agency’s organized immigration crime threat lead, Dan Barcroft, emphasized the importance of these takedowns in disrupting criminal operations and forcing smugglers to change their tactics.
In the past year, the NCA has seen an increase in intelligence sharing and collaboration with tech platforms, leading to more takedowns and arrests of individuals involved in advertising illegal Channel crossings on social media. These efforts have strengthened the agency’s understanding of the threat posed by organized immigration crime and improved communication channels with social media platforms.
As Home Office minister Angela Eagle stated, cracking down on criminals who profit from human misery by promoting people-smuggling businesses online is crucial to protecting borders and preventing vulnerable individuals from being put at risk. The NCA and social media platforms are committed to taking action to dismantle these criminal networks and address irregular migration at its source.
