Some say that forcing immigrants to hop a border fence won’t deter illegal immigration to the United States from Mexico. If immigration to the U.S. is anything like immigration within Europe, they may be right.
It seems that some Romanians are willing to hop the English Channel to make it into Britain even if it means hiding in a private jet’s landing gear for the entire ride. Here is the AP account of one man’s recent journey to the U.K.:
The man told British authorities that he crawled “under the wire” of the Vienna airport’s perimeter fence and climbed into the undercarriage of a private Boeing 747 parked near a construction site for a new terminal, Schwechat police chief Leo Lauber said.
[…]
After landing at London’s Heathrow Airport, Lauber said the man — who claimed he was looking for a job — apparently fell out of the gear’s compartment and was apprehended by police.
A spokesman for London’s Metropolitan Police said the man was arrested and remains in custody at Heathrow. No information on his medical condition was released, but authorities said he was in a cell, not a medical facility.
But according to the Daily Mail, he’s since been released:
Scotland Yard said he was cautioned for the offense of being a stowaway and questioned about entering Britain without a passport before being released in the early hours of Monday.
Someone call Sheriff Joe! Oh wait… there’s more from the BBC:
As Romania is part of the EU, the man is free to enter the UK.
Never mind, Sheriff. Sorry for the false alarm.