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Thanh’s lies go beyond just claiming he was trafficked. He also initially claimed he was a child when he arrived in the UK, despite being in his 30s.
“I claimed I was still a child,” he said. “It was a tactic for getting help. It worked.”
Thanh managed to secure accommodation in a foster home and was sent to school with much younger children.
His true age was discovered when he applied for asylum and underwent a dental examination that revealed he was no longer a juvenile.
He was moved from the foster home to a shared house with other adult asylum seekers.
This episode shows the lengths that some migrants will go to in order to secure help and support when they arrive in the UK. But it also reveals a system that is prone to abuse, with limited resources put aside for the care of vulnerable child migrants.
‘I just wanted to make money’
Thanh’s story highlights an uncomfortable truth about the smuggling trade: the economic motivations that drive many of those involved.
While some migrants may be fleeing persecution or war, others are simply seeking better opportunities to make money and improve their lives.
“I didn’t feel like I was doing anything wrong… I just wanted to make money,” Thanh said, reflecting on his time in the smuggling trade.
Thanh’s current situation is uncertain. He is awaiting the outcome of his asylum claim and faces the constant fear of being discovered by the authorities or criminal gangs seeking retribution.
He knows that he has taken a risk speaking out about his involvement in the smuggling industry, but feels that it is important for people to understand the reality of the trade.
“I don’t want anyone to do what I did,” he said. “It’s just bad.”
His hope is to one day be granted asylum and start a new life in the UK, but he is acutely aware that his past may always follow him.
“I will pay for what I’ve done,” he said. “It’s always in my head, every day.”
