In an effort to stem the tide of people arriving in small boats along its southern coast, Britain announced on Tuesday that it would introduce new legislation to bar migrants who cross the English Channel from staying in the nation.

According to government statistics, Albanians make up the majority of those who travel this way and have more than doubled the number of people arriving in England over the last two years.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a new five-point strategy for dealing with illegal immigration, including plans to fast-track the return of Albanian asylum seekers, and clearing the initial backlog of almost 150,000 asylum cases by the end of next year by doubling the number of caseworkers.

“If you enter the UK illegally you should not be able to remain here,” Sunak told parliament. “Instead, you will be detained and swiftly returned either to your home country or to a safe country where your asylum claim will be considered.”

Migrants arriving on small boats has become a major political issue for the Conservative government, particularly in working-class areas in the north and central England, where migrants are blamed for making it harder to find work and stretching public services.

Sunak said a new unit would be created to tackle crossings, and that in future migrants would be housed in disused holiday parks, former student accommodation and surplus military sites rather than hotels.

In an effort to stem the tide of people arriving in small boats along its southern coast, Britain announced on Tuesday that it would introduce new legislation to bar migrants who cross the English Channel from staying in the nation.

According to government statistics, Albanians make up the majority of those who travel this way and have more than doubled the number of persons coming in England over the last two years.