UK Channel Migrants Might be Electronically Tagged to Prevent Black Market Work

The UK government is considering electronically tagging channel migrants in order to prevent them from availing of black market work.

Plans to electronically tag migrants who illegally cross the English Channel are being considered by the UK government in the hopes that the measure would prevent those who illegally land in the country from disappearing into black market jobs.

Under the proposal, migrants deemed old enough to work would be tagged and would be subject to restrictions regarding their movements while their asylum applications are processed, according to a report by The Sun.

The scheme would seek to prevent supposed asylum seekers from disappearing from the view of authorities during processing and entering black market work in the country — which has been described as akin to modern slavery.

A government source told the publication that the measure was “a low cost, high impact way” of making changes quickly in how the UK deals with illegal immigration.

The source went on to claim that the aims of the measure are in “part to stop the pull factor, and part to stop people absconding while their claims to stay are being processed.”

“Illegal entry isn’t a punishment-free crime,” the source continued, adding: “Tagging will make it quicker and easier to deport those who have no right to be here.”

The proposed measure comes after French officials criticised Britain for being too “economically attractive” for would-be illegal migrants.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said last month that the current crisis facing the two countries — which has seen nearly 28,000 illegals crossing the Channel this year, alone — is the result of illegal migrants being “attracted by England, especially the labour market which means you can work in England without any identification.”

“Britain must take its responsibility and limit its economic attractiveness,” the French official said.

The criticism was echoed by Brexit leader Nigel Farage, who said that the crisis would continue so long as Britain fails to address the pull factors incentivising migrants to come to the UK illegally, going so far as to claim that it would not matter if as many as “20,000 police” were put on French beaches to stop the boats.

Amid criticisms of the UK being too attractive a location for migrants, Breitbart London reported that the British government could be spending over £500 million on migrant housing and support payments by next year.

According to the Migration Watch UK think tank, government spending on migrants could increase by more than £100 million in 2022, after having already climbed to over £400 million in 2021.