Government sources in Tirana, according to British media outlet The Guardian, say that multiple attempts to get information from Great Britain about the passengers on the small boats had failed, leaving the migrants operating in the dark.

The British Home Office is allegedly responsible for delaying efforts to stop the English Channel crossings by not providing the Albanian government with information on the travel routes of migrants arriving in Britain.

“We have done everything that was asked of us. The only thing we have asked from our British friends is to give us some information about the 140,000 Albanians living in Britain. Only Great Britain has information on the roads”, said a source of the Albanian government to the British media.

More than 38,000 migrants have arrived in Britain in small boats across the Channel so far this year. About 12,000 are reported as Albanians compared to a total of 800 last year and 50 in 2020.

Dan O’Mahoney, the commander for the Border Force, said on Monday that the numbers equated to “1 percent to 2 percent” of Albanian men between the ages of 20 and 40.

“Albanian government sources expressed disappointment at the lack of effective cooperation, based on concerns about this issue in the British government. “Tirana has provided Border Force officers to operate in Dover, as requested by the Home Office, and officials have checked those flying out of Albania,” the article says.

The failure of the British government to implement an agreement for the rapid deportation of Albanians who enter the country illegally is highlighted by the British media as the main source of concern in Tirana.