Photo credit: Evening standard
The government of the United Kingdom has announced that it has deported almost 13,500 people since coming to power. The ministers say it proves their tough approach towards migrants, while human rights campaigners have warned that it could put lives at risk.
The Guardian reports that the government says it is on track to deliver the highest number of returns for five years and include the four most significant return flights ever,
It was revealed earlier this month that at least three of these four flights were returns to Brazil, and the fourth is likely to be going there.
Between 5 July and 7 December 2024, 13,460 returns were recorded, most of them voluntary. However, enforced returns rose by 25% compared to the same period in 2023.
The Home Office organized deportation flights to at least seven countries, including Pakistan, Nigeria, and Albania.
Emma Ginn, director of the charity Medical Justice, which works to support the health of immigration detainees facing removal from the UK, said: “The new data being celebrated by the government includes real people who have been unable to access legal representation, nor te medical and expert evidence needed to properly present their case, meaning some may face real risk on forced return to their country.
“Our volunteer doctors have visited some of them and documented their physical and psychological scars of torture as well as deterioration due to the notoriously dangerous UK immigration conditions. Many have been forcibly separated from their family, their friends and their community.”
The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, is also announcing plans to increase enforcement activity against migrants found to be working in the UK illegally. On Saturday, she visited Rome to meet her counterpart, Italian interior minister Matteo Piantedosi, in a bid to act against people-smuggling gangs.
She said, “Illegal working is a blight against our economy. It is deeply exploitative and undercuts those employers who do the right thing and play by the rules.
“Since the election, we have intensified our efforts to crack down on exploitation and illegal working – the number of operations and arrests are up, and we are on track to meet our target of increasing removals t the highest level for five years.”
