The Home Office has hired a private military company to assist in its efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats. The company, MVM Inc, is a US-based firm that has previously worked for the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security.
According to a report by iNews, the Home Office awarded a contract worth £7.2 million to MVM Inc in December 2023, without a competitive tender process. The contract is for the provision of “maritime support services” for a period of 12 months, with the possibility of extension.
According to Inews, The Home Office has not disclosed the exact nature of the services that MVM Inc will provide, but a spokesperson said that they are part of a package of measures to tackle the unacceptable rise in small boat crossings. The spokesperson added that the Home Office is working closely with the French authorities to stop these crossings, which are facilitated by ruthless criminal gangs and are extremely dangerous.
The hiring of MVM Inc has raised concerns among human rights groups and MPs, who have questioned the legality, transparency and ethics of the move. They have also criticised the Home Office for outsourcing its responsibilities to a private company with a controversial track record.
MVM Inc has been involved in several scandals in the past, including allegations of human rights abuses, fraud and misconduct. In 2018, the company was accused of detaining migrant children in unlicensed facilities in the US, where they were reportedly exposed to poor conditions and abuse. In 2019, the company was sued by a former employee who claimed that he was fired for whistleblowing on illegal activities, such as smuggling weapons and drugs. In 2020, the company was fined $1.9 million by the US government for overbilling and falsifying records.
Claire Moseley, the founder of Care4Calais, a charity that supports refugees in France, said that the Home Office’s decision to hire MVM Inc was shocking and appalling. She said that the company’s history of violating human rights and exploiting vulnerable people made it unfit to work on the Channel crossings issue. She also said that the Home Office’s approach of militarising the border was ineffective and inhumane, and that it would only push migrants to take more dangerous routes.
Bella Sankey, the director of Detention Action, a charity that campaigns for the rights of detained migrants, said that the Home Office’s contract with MVM Inc was a new low. She said that the Home Office was outsourcing its dirty work to a company with a track record of abuse and corruption. She also said that the Home Office was bypassing parliamentary scrutiny and public accountability by awarding the contract without a tender process. She called for the contract to be cancelled and for the Home Office to focus on creating safe and legal routes for refugees.
