Migration chaos exposed as foreign criminals not deported in record blow | UK | News
The number of foreign criminals still in the UK despite being eligible for deportation is claimed to be at a record high. The statement dealt a further blow to Sir Keir Starmer and senior Labor ministers who have vowed to get tough on the issue.
Around 19,491 people who have been released from prison in the UK and are eligible for deportation are reportedly remaining in the country. The number is said to have increased since 2017, when it was 5,933. The figure of nearly 20,000 apparently represents a record, and the amount is rising as the Government continues to grapple with deportation hurdles.
Accordingly SunAccording to the news report that broke the story, the 19,491 figure is believed to include some criminals who have been out of prison for more than five years but still have not been removed from the country.
The total number is said to have increased by about 5,000 people in three years; almost 1,000 of these during Sir Keir’s time as Prime Minister.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the paper: “Any foreign national criminal who is eligible for deportation should be deported.”
In August the Government announced that most foreign criminals convicted in the UK would face immediate deportation in lieu of 30% of their prison sentences.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood, who was Justice Minister at the time, said Labor was “taking radical action to deport foreign criminals”.
“Our message is clear: If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing,” he said.
In response to the reports, a Home Office spokesman said: “This Government will not allow foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to abuse our laws, which is why we are reforming human rights laws and the broken appeals system, allowing us to increase deportations.”
“All foreign national criminals sentenced to imprisonment in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity.”
The Home Office has previously said it had seen an increase in the number of convicted criminals using rights-based applications to avoid deportation in recent years.
