The Home Office has launched a social media advert campaign targeting Vietnamese nationals to deter them from illegally migrating to the UK.
The government says the adverts will set out the risks of small boat crossings, an increasing proportion of which are made by Vietnamese migrants.
Labour said the government should “end the gimmicks” and “get a grip”.
Using dramatic pictures of overloaded dinghies sinking in the English Channel, the adverts feature testimony from Border Force officers and people who have made the crossing.
In one of the videos, a migrant says: “I regret risking my life on a small boat.” Another talks of seeing passengers disappear into the sea.
The Home Office said the campaign would “set out the risks of being indebted to and exploited by the people-smuggling gangs who profit from facilitating small boat crossings”.
It added that it would warn prospective Vietnamese migrants of the “reality of living in the UK illegally with no right to be in the UK and no access to public services or funding”.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “This is a powerful campaign which demonstrates first-hand that life for people arriving here illegally is a far cry from the lies they have been sold by the gangs on the other side of the Channel.”
Overall, the number of people from Vietnam making the journey so far this year is up 17%, compared with the same period in 2023. The government says Vietnamese migrants are among the top ten nationalities among those crossing the Channel.
Smugglers organising the crossings are adapting their methods, the Home Office says, using bigger boats and packing more people onto them.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made “stopping the boats” one of the key priorities of his premiership.
As part of this, his government plans to push ahead with its policy to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, despite a Supreme Court judgment it is unlawful.
The Rwanda bill is currently being debated in Parliament, with further amendments made recently in the House of Lords likely to be overturned when it returns to the Commons after the Easter break.
Last year, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper accused the government of “tinkering at the edges” in its immigration policy with the Albania advert campaign.
It also drew criticism from refugee charities, including Refugee Action which said the “pointless” campaign “repeats the myth that refugee migration is illegal”.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
