MADRID, April 5th. (EUROPEAN PRESS) –

The UK government has announced this Wednesday that it will accommodate asylum seekers arriving in the country via the English Channel on ships permanently docked in Portland harbor for the next 18 months.

“We will not put the interests of illegal immigrants ahead of the interests of the British people we have chosen to serve,” stressed the Secretary of State for Immigration, Robert Jenrick, stressing the fact that the British government uses “alternative accommodation options” versus “expensive hotels.”

The government ensures that it spends six million pounds a day (6.8 million euros), paying for the current reception in hotels for asylum seekers, therefore seeking other rescue measures, including the use of disused military bases.

In this sense, he has stated that his aim is to “prevent the UK from becoming a magnet” for those taking advantage of the asylum procedure. “All accommodation will comply with our legal obligations,” he explained.

The ship, which is named ‘Bibby Stockholm’ and has a capacity of 500 people, will operate for at least 18 months and will remain permanently anchored in the port. According to the UK Government, it will provide “basic accommodation” to “single men while their asylum applications are processed” and will have medical care, catering as well as security 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government has confirmed that this action has been taken within the framework of the migration bill, which seeks to “stop crossing the English Channel by ending illegal entry into the UK and ensuring that those arriving illegally are promptly removed.”

The main goal of the British Executive is to stop migration flows in the English Channel, which will cause more than 45,000 illegal arrivals by 2022. At least 44 people died in this area last year.