18 suspected illegal immigrants detained in Hertfordshire

British police have arrested 18 suspected illegal immigrants who were hiding in the back of a lorry in Hertfordshire.

The vehicle was stopped and searched after the police received an anonymous call telling them a suspicious activity on the lorry on Saturday.

18 people were arrested who the police believe to have entered the country unlawfully. A 40-year-old Polish driver was also detained on suspicion of assisting the migrants.

The nationalities of the migrants have not been disclosed. However, the incident comes after weeks of tensions at the French port town of Calais where thousands of asylum-seekers attempted to enter Britain via the Channel Tunnel. Many of the asylum-seekers who remained in camps in Calais are from war-torn nations such as Syria, Afghanistan and Eretria.

Calais crisis

The tunnel runs 31 miles from Calais, in France’s north to England’s south. The city has been the hub of migrants where more than 1,000 attempted to enter the Channel Tunnel entrance. At least nine people have died since the crisis began.

Both French and British authorities have recently moved to tighten up security at both ends while closing the tunnel at night.  It has emerged that 100 elite British troops have also been stationed in Kent in order to respond to a possible chaos.

The UK has recently faced the fiercest criticism from human rights groups after the government unveiled new measures to crack down on illegal immigrants by forcing landlords to evict them. A parliamentary debate on the issue is likely in the coming months. The government said, under the new plan, those who do not check the immigrants’ status before renting them a property could be jailed for up to five years.

"Britain has started to draft different legislation to tackle migrants which is absolutely disgraceful. What Britain is trying to do is the distraction politics. The migrant crisis in Calais for example is a humanitarian disaster. The government wants to use this issue to try and divide us and the cutting edge of racism right now is attacks on migrants and this is coming from one of the most critical governments that are made up of millionaires. It’s completely hypocritical for the government be racking up racism and saying that migrants are problem for us", Geoff Dexter, Social activist in Birmingham told Press TV .

British Prime Minister David Cameron has also been under fire recently for describing the migrants as “swarm of people”. His remark triggered widespread condemnation. Some analysts say the migrant crisis is the outcome of wars that Britain and other western powers waged against countries in African and Asia.

"People fleeing their countries and properties is very much part of the wars that take place at the hands of our governments. In fact, people were fleeing as the direct result of wars waged recently by the United States, Britain and France", Dexter said.       

Meanwhile, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed concern over the plight of asylum-seekers in Europe. The UN refugee agency has called on France to draw up a plan to give accommodation to thousands of migrants who are camping out in Calais. On Friday, the European director of the UNHCR described the situation in Calais as appalling. Vincent Cochetel pointed out that both the French and British governments had been opposed to setting up a reception center in Calais for fear it would attract more migrants. 

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