UK Hosts Summit to Tackle Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday called for international cooperation to eliminate irregular migration and dismantle migrant smuggling gangs. His remarks came during a two-day summit in London, attended by representatives from 40 countries, focusing on combating irregular migration. In his opening speech, Starmer emphasized that human trafficking networks can only be eradicated through collective efforts, warning that these networks exploit institutional gaps and create discord among nations.

Starmer argued that resources and intelligence must be shared to effectively combat the issue and that governments must address the problem at every stage along the people-smuggling routes. The summit brings together representatives from migrants’ countries of origin, such as Vietnam and Iraq, as well as key transit regions like the Balkans. Also in attendance are the head of the UK Border Force, responsible for border control operations, and representatives from INTERPOL, Europol, and Afripol.

The summit takes place as the European Union considers establishing migrant processing centers outside its borders to accelerate the expulsion of irregular migrants. Participants will analyze the equipment, infrastructure, and forged documents used by human trafficking networks to smuggle people illegally.

Additionally, discussions will focus on how these networks operate and ways to reach a global consensus on combating the online attraction of migrants. The meeting aims to develop strategies for dismantling trafficking operations and strengthening international border security.