Home Office migrant campaign (Message reads "You will be swallowed up by the sea" in Vietnamese).

LONDON — The UK’s Home Office on March 25 launched a social media campaign in Việt Nam to deter migrants from coming to the UK illegally, following successful similar drives in Albania, France and Belgium.

The campaign in Việt Nam is the latest phase of the UK government’s global campaign to warn migrants of the consequences of entering the UK illegally.

It will harness social media adverts on Facebook and YouTube to directly target people who may be considering making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK.

The campaign will use adverts on Facebook and YouTube to target people in the south-east Asian country who may be considering making illegal journeys to the UK.

The social media posts emphasise the consequences of travelling to the UK illegally and the dangers people can expect to face, as well as set out the risks of being indebted to and exploited by the people smuggling gangs who profit from facilitating small boat crossings.

The campaign warns prospective 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.

It includes testimonies from Home Office Immigration Enforcement and Border Force officers, who all too often encounter illegal migrants who have been sold into modern slavery or illegal working by their smugglers.

The campaign’s social media adverts direct users to a new website with additional video content from Immigration Enforcement and Border Force officers who describe some of the shocking cases they’ve encountered and their experiences of rescuing small boat migrants from life-threatening danger in the English Channel.

“Expanding our campaign to Việt Nam, another key partner in our work to tackle illegal migration, will help us to save more lives and dent the business model of the criminals who profit from this vile trade,” UK’s Home Secretary James Cleverly said.

Senior officials from the UK and Việt Nam are due to meet in London on April 17 to discuss working in even closer partnership on migration issues.

According to the UK’s Home Office, every year, organised criminal gangs bring thousands of people from all over the world, including Việt Nam, to the UK by crossing the English Channel by small boats. In 2022-23 alone, up to 76,000 people came to England via this route. The number of people who die on this sea crossing in 2023 tripled that of the previous year. Illegal migrants can be forced to live in inhumane, cramped and hazardous conditions by criminal gangs, with no access to basic hygiene, healthcare or legal employment.

In December 2022, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced to double funding for the National Crime Agency (NCA) to fight organised crime on migration. The UK government also issued a new law on illegal immigration, which imposes quick deportation to people who have not followed the proper channels and therefore have no rights in the UK. — VNS