The British government is said to be taking a tougher line on undocumented immigrants following its latest migrant crisis.
According to the Guardian, immigrants living illegally in the UK will face sudden eviction from rental properties under new laws the government is set to announce.
The government will change the law to allow landlords to evict such immigrants without a ‘court order.’ This comes as the UK home secretary, Theresa May, has said that Britain’s “streets are not paved with gold.”
Meanwhile, landlords who fail to check the immigration status of tenants could be fined or imprisoned for up to five years under a new criminal offence to be included in a new immigration bill.
Greg Clark, the communities secretary, has reportedly said that “we are determined to crack down on rogue landlords.”
In recent weeks, hundreds of migrants have tried to make it into the undersea tunnel connecting France to Britain in the hopes of finding a way onto a train or truck headed for the UK. At least 10 migrants have died attempting the dangerous journey since June.
The latest crisis has forced British Prime Minister David Cameron to call on French President Francois Hollande to hold urgent talks and discuss the situation at the port of Calais, where the refugee crisis “could last all summer,” he said.
Cameron called the pictures of migrants tearing down fences and hanging onto trucks as they try to enter the Channel Tunnel “unacceptable.”
He had earlier drawn criticism by calling the migrants ‘swarms.’
France and Britain vowed on August 2 that ending a crisis which has seen thousands of attempts by migrants to reach England from Calais in recent weeks is a “top priority.”
