Migrants are still crossing the England Channel in small boats (Image: Getty)
A chief has branded UK officials as “mugs” after the parents of two children who crossed the English Channel alone tried to claim . A family of Kurdish Turks were reportedly separated after travelling to to use a small boat in order to cross to Britain. But just the two children, aged six and nine, got on the dinghy. Now, a judge has ruled that the children will be taken back to France.
Court documents detailed that there was a “real risk” in “allowing parents to enter the UK because their children arrived in the UK unaccompanied on a small boat will lead to more children being placed on small boats, unaccompanied”. Alp Mehmet, the boss of Migrant Watch UK, has told that migrant children are a “huge cost” to the British system.
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Alp Mehmet is the chief of Migrant Watch UK (Image: GB News)
The expert added more than 7,000 young individuals are being looked after by UK authorities.
“There was local authority saying only today that it’s costing them so much that they’re going to overspend by £4.2million,” he said.
“In the majority of cases, it’s mid-teens, late teens – a lot of them, frankly, we probably doubt that they are the age that they say they are.”
Mr Mehmet then asked why France does not “take people like this back”, and claimed the situation as a whole is “disgraceful”.
“Frankly, we shouldn’t give the opportunity to the French or anyone else to offload their problems on us, which is what’s been happening for years and years now,” he added.
It is “absolutely right that the parents are now in France,” Mr Mehmet said, as “they’re going to be looked after and they want their children back”.
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Further cases like this one could be seen, Mr Mehmet warned (Image: Getty)
“The judge, in his wisdom for once, said hold on a moment, let’s see this through,” he added.
The case could spark many similar attempts from parents, the expert warned.
“This goes on because it’s a way of getting to this country,” Mr Mehmet said, “and I’m afraid it will continue to go on.
“Over Saturday and Sunday, there were over 600 people who came here. Essentially, they’re waiting to come over, but we’re talking about nine and a six-year-old now.
“I’m very happy for those little ones to be back with their parents, but generally we’re really mugs, because we accept anyone who says ‘I’m 17 and a half’ – we say we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, here you come.”
The Express has contacted the Home Office for comment.