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Britain says it's talking with some countries to set up migrant return hubs

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Britain is talking with several countries to host rejected asylum seekers as they wait to be deported, the U.K. prime minister said Thursday.

Prime Minister Kier Starmer said on a visit to Albania that the return hub concept was a “pretty important innovation” that could more effectively tackle migrant inflows. He did not name the countries he was in discussions with or offer more details.

Albania already has a five-year agreement with Italy to shelter up to 36,000 migrants annually while Rome fast-tracks their asylum requests. Under the deal, Italy would take back any migrants whose requests have been rejected, and they will likely be repatriated. Children and pregnant women aren't covered by the plan.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the agreement with Italy was a “one off” issue and that Tirana had turned down several requests for the same deals with other countries.

The British prime minister said a joint task force with Albania has helped significantly reduce the number of Albanian migrants trying to reach the UK. He added that his government is in talks with Western Balkan countries to set up similar task forces, aiming to cut through the tangle of bureaucracy that hinders progress in reducing migrant arrivals.

The number of Albanians crossing the English Channel in unsafe inflatable rafts in search of higher-paying jobs has dropped from 12,000 in 2022 to some 600 in 2024.

“Quite an incredible reduction,” Starmer said at a news conference with Rama. “And I think it’s a signal and an example of what can be done when two countries work together in this way.”

Top British officials in 2022 called Albanians’ arrivals “an invasion,” sparking a diplomatic spat. Rama had called that a “crazy narrative” and an attempt to cover up for the U.K.’s failed border policies. Albanians cannot seek asylum status in the U.K., which considers Albania to be a safe country.

In the same year, London and Tirana signed an agreement to return Albanians arriving on boats in the U.K. London also has funded projects, especially in northeastern Albania where most of the illegal newcomers were from.

Rama pledged to continue the partnership with Britain on discouraging migrant arrivals from Albania.

Starmer's visit to Albania is the first by a British prime minister. He will also take part at Friday’s summit of the European Political Community in Tirana, a forum that gathers European leaders with the aim of boosting security and prosperity across the continent.