British Prime Minister Boris Johnson led his country out of the European Union, where there was also outrage over the high number of immigrants arriving in England.
But now he says he is open to the idea of ??an amnesty for immigrants who are in the UK illegally.
"When people have lived here for a very long time and have not broken the law, then it makes sense to try to fix their status," Johnson told a news conference Thursday.
According to him, there are 500 thousand citizens who do not pay taxes.
He said this is 'almost what already happens under existing rules', but his statements show he can go further.
This is an idea Johnson has backed in the past, as he is known to be more liberal than many of his party colleagues on immigration issues.
Addressing reporters gathered mainly to discuss the pandemic, Johnson said he was in favor of a crackdown on criminal gangs trafficking defenseless migrants in small boats across the English Channel in Britain.
'People have died trying to come to us,' he said.
