"Daily Mail" article about Kukës, young people unanimously: We will emigrate to England, there is no future here

2023-11-27 11:37:00, Aktualitet CNA

"Daily Mail" article about Kukës, young people unanimously: We

The elderly in Kukës

The British media "Daily Mail" has recently published an article about Kukës and the disturbing phenomenon of young people immigrating illegally to the United Kingdom.

In the article, Kukësi is described as one of the poorest places in Albania where only the elderly have remained. In the interviews that the journalist of "Daily Mail" has done in Kukës, most of the young people say that they want to leave their country, as they see no future in it.

Although the British government has allocated 8.4 million pounds to encourage the Kuksians to stay in their country, this does not seem to have stopped the exodus.

Part of the Daily Mail article

Teenagers in one of Albania's most deprived areas have not given up on their dreams of immigrating to Britain, despite UK taxpayers funding an £8.4m program to encourage them to stay in their country .

The money was recently earmarked by the UK Government to be spent on job creation and community schemes in Kukes county where the mayor has launched a campaign to persuade citizens who have emigrated to return to their homeland.

The poverty-stricken area was singled out for help after losing half its population since 1990 due to many of its younger citizens paying smugglers to get them into the UK on small boats or in hiding in trucks.

Mass migration has led to Kukësi and its surrounding mountain villages being labeled 'ghost towns' as so many young people and families have left with only the older generation left behind.

The region in northeastern Albania near the border with Kosovo has the highest proportion of the population living illegally in the UK or seeking asylum, compared to any other area of ??the former communist country.

The new mayor of Kukes has pledged to spend a big chunk of the UK's money to persuade people to return by offering tax breaks and grants to set up tourism-related businesses, which he sees as key to boosted the region's economy.

But a MailOnline investigation has revealed that many teenagers seem unimpressed by the measures and still want to get to Britain as soon as they can because they believe they will be able to find work easily and earn much more there.

A 15-year-old boy called Dardan, who was with friends at the Costa cafe in Kukes, named after the UK cafe chain, vowed to try to get to England once he finished high school in July.

"In Albania we don't have jobs or workplaces. It is a poor country. I just want to go to England because I know the language. I have family members on my mother's and father's side who are already there. Maybe I'll get there by truck or boat. It will cost me thousands of euros, but I can borrow the money and pay it back by working. I want to work in England as an electrician. I learned the trade from my electrician uncle. All my friends think the same way. We see no future for us here. My parents understand, but they say I have to finish school first. There are only better opportunities in England. Here, you can't do anything," he said.

"Daily Mail" article about Kukës, young people unanimously: We

Fjoli Zhubi, 17, said he was prepared to enter the UK illegally if he could not find work after completing a three-year course to become a vehicle mechanic at a vocational school.

'My parents don't want me to go, but I won't have a choice if I don't find a job. My chances of getting a job here are only 50/50 because the economy is not good. About 80 percent of people who leave college here end up unemployed. If possible, I will try to apply for a visa to go to the UK legally, but I may have to pay to get on a truck. I have relatives in England and I know I will find work there.'

Official figures show that the number of Albanians seeking asylum in the UK rose to nearly 16,000 last year - more than the total for the rest of Europe - with the majority arriving in small boats.

Home Secretary and former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly boasted last month that the number of Albanians detected on arrival in the UK had fallen by 90 per cent since its peak last year.

He blamed a decline in greater cooperation with Albanian authorities and an increased willingness to turn back those who have no legal right to stay, making the UK a less attractive destination.

"Daily Mail" article about Kukës, young people unanimously: We

Older residents told MailOnline of their desperation to live in an area that so many young people have abandoned in their search for new lives, particularly in the UK.

Musli Llehsi, 60 years old, who owns the Amerika hotel in Kukës, said: "I am very worried. I can't find people to work for me. All my former waiters are in England Germany./ CNA