Suella Braverman, the British interior minister, will discuss “the unsustainable pressures” brought on by illegal immigration during a three-day visit to the United States this week, her office announced on Sunday.
According to the Home Office, Braverman will give a keynote address outlining a strategy for how nations can battle the crisis and highlighting how Britain has pioneered “innovative approaches” to solving the problem.
In the statement, Braverman claimed that “illegal immigration especially the utterly unprecedented massive movement of human beings across the entire world is placing untenable pressures on the USA, the UK, and Europe.”
“We must band together and consider whether the international agreements and legal frameworks created more than 50 years ago are still relevant in the era of commercial air travel and smartphones.”
After taking office last year, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proclaimed “stopping the boats”—the influx of migrants into the country in small boats—a primary goal.
The UK government’s initiatives, like transferring refugees to the nation of Rwanda, have so far not been successful. According to government figures, about 45,000 migrants were discovered entering via tiny ships in the twelve months leading up to the month of June a 26% increase year over year.
The administration of Joe Biden has likewise struggled with high migration rates; in the initial half of September, U.S. police encountered almost 142,000 migrants across the border with Mexico.
Braverman, who will visit Washington on Monday, wants to work more closely with the United States to combat organized immigration crime and illegal immigration. According to the release, she will speak with legislators and high-ranking Americans, including Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security.
“I’m traveling to Washington to speak with our Americans counterparts about the challenge of illegal immigration. Our political institutions run the risk of losing their democratic credibility if we are unable to address these issues, Braverman warned.