Nineteen Iranian and Vietnamese migrants who were caught by immigration police in France on board a lorry bound for Dublin had, according to the UK Border Force, intended to get out in Britain, writes London Editor, Mark Hennessy.
The 19 were detained last Friday by Border Force officers in Dunkirk when they searched a Latvian-registered truck that was travelling to Ireland via Britain.
Last night, the Border Force said it believed the group’s decision to board the truck was “opportunistic”. “It just happened to be a truck that was heading on afterwards to Ireland.” The Latvian driver was handed over by British officers to their French colleagues on suspicion of aiding the migrants. He has since been released.
The seizure was just one of three made by British officers at French ports in recent days. Five Afghan men were held in Calais last Friday after they were discovered on board a truck. On Monday, five Vietnamese – two men and three women – were detained in Dunkirk after being found on a Romanian- registered truck bound for Leicestershire.