'Animals don't deserve this treatment': Albanian man says nephew, 8, held at Manston
ITV News reporter John Ray speaks to Arben Halili, in Kent, who is searching for his nephew after he crossed the Channel
An Albanian man who says he saw his nephew on the front page of a newspaper behind a fence at the Manston immigration centre blocked roads in hopes of finding his family.
Arben Halili, who has lived in the UK for 25 years, travelled to Kent to find his brother and nephew, after spotting the eight-year-old on the front page of a newspaper, pictured with other children peering out from behind the wire.
The boy crossed the channel with this mother and father last month, but Mr Halili has been unable to reach them, he said.
As coaches left the site to transport migrants from the overcrowded facility to other accommodation, Mr Halili stood in front of them asking if his family was on board.
He told ITV News no one deserves to be treated like the people in the UK's immigration system, adding: "Animals don't deserve this treatment."
Mr Halili, who lives in Oxfordshire, claimed his nephew, and the child's father and mother, have been inside Manston for three weeksHe said he saw the front page of the Metro, which featured a picture of his nephew in the detention centre, and has since been worried about his well-being.
Mr Halili said he was able to house his nephew, brother, and sister-in-law - but claims he hasn’t heard from his family because they’ve taken their phones from them.
'The immigration crisis is dogging the prime minister - Romilly Weeks reports on the latest political developments surrounding the Manston immigration centre
The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases, telling ITV News in a statement:
“The number of people arriving in the UK via small boats has reached record levels and continues to put our asylum system under incredible pressure.
“Manston remains resourced and equipped to process migrants securely and we will provide alternative accommodation as soon as possible.
“We urge anyone who is thinking about leaving a safe country and risk their lives at the hands of criminal people-smugglers to seriously reconsider. Despite what they have been told, they will not be allowed to start a new life here.” have sent a blanket response which I will send to you
Some of the harshest criticism of the thousands seeking haven in the UK amid the migrant crisis has been lobbed against Albanian people.
The past week's debate included accusations from Tory MPs that many Albanian men travelling to the UK were 'economic migrants,' and allegations they were involved in criminality in the UK.
The allegations sparked some backlash - including from the country's leader, who tweeted today calling for "mutual respect," as he highlighted Albania's troubled contemporary history.
Around 12,000 Albanians have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, of whom 10,000 are single, adult men. This is compared with 50 in 2020.
Right-wing commentators and several Tory MPs claimed Albanians aren't 'asylum seekers' - as the country is currently not involved in a war. They described the nation as a middle-income country, despite its status as one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman also pointed to the number of Albanians coming into the UK as a reason to support her clampdown on illegal immigration.
Ms Braverman told MPs on Monday the UK has seen a “surge in the number of Albanian arrivals” and said that “many of them I am afraid to say abusing our modern slavery laws”.
She was widely criticised for her choice of language during the combative Commons debate, during which she claimed there is an "invasion" of England by migrants crossing the Channel.
Ms Braverman agreed with Tory backbencher Lee Anderson who brought up "Albanian criminals" and suggested those who dislike UK accommodation "can get on a dinghy and go straight back to France".
Her language provoked an impassioned response from Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama.
He tweeted: "Targeting Albanians (as some shamefully did when fighting for Brexit) as the cause of Britain’s crime and border problems makes for easy rhetoric but ignores hard fact.
"Repeating the same things and expecting different results is insane (ask Einstein!).
"70% of the 140,000 Albanians who have moved to the UK were living in Italy and Greece. 1,200 of them are business people.
"Albanians in the UK work hard and pay tax. UK should fight the crime gangs of all nationalities and stop discriminating against] Albanians to excuse policy failures.
"Albania is a NATO country & is negotiating its EU membership. It is also a safe country of origin. When Germany had a similar problem it tightened its own systems. The UK can and should do the same not respond with a rhetoric of crime that ends up punishing the innocent.
"Albania is not a rich country and was for a very long time a victim of empires, we never had our own.
"We have a duty to fight crime at home and are doing so resolutely, as cooperating closely with others too. Ready to work closer with UK but facts are crucial. So is mutual respect."
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "The number of people arriving in the UK via small boats has reached record levels and continues to put our asylum system under incredible pressure.
"Manston remains resourced and equipped to process migrants securely and we will provide alternative accommodation as soon as possible."
Albania's contemporary history
Albania was ruled under communism until 1991 when it slowly began transitioning to a democratic system, which was in place by 1998.
It was not part of the communist bloc and had a difficult relationship with the Soviet Union, which left it isolated and poor.
Albania was mired in a brief civil war in 1997 after its rapid transition to a market economy caused upheaval, with unregulated markets rising quickly and collapsing, impoverishing the population.
Since then its economy has grown, and Albania is currently seeking membership in the EU.
But it still trails far behind in many aspects, as Europe's fourth poorest country.
Problems with corruption hamper business in the country, according to international observers, including Transparency International.
Many young people living in Albania feel they have few prospects in their home country and choose to emigrate to Europe, according to multiple studies tracking its migration patterns.
The Human Development Index, which ranks nations based on a number of factors including education, life expectancy and income ranks it at 67th in the world - the UK is 18th.
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