Illegal immigrants 'not hunted'
Little effort is made to track down illegal immigrants who lose touch with the authorities, a senior immigration official has admitted.
David Roberts, of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), told MPs there was little point in hunting individuals who overstayed their visas. He said resources were better targeted instead on raiding firms which employed illegal workers*. He also said the IND had beaten targets for removing illegal immigrants.
Mr Roberts, who is head of removals at the directorate, said he did not "have the faintest idea" how many illegal immigrants there were in the UK, although he was aware of estimates suggesting it was about 400,000.
We are making huge efforts to remove them, but not on the basis of tracing individuals. He also admitted he did not know how many people had been told to leave the country.
*Why? Because firms employing illegal immigrants can be heavily fined thus generating revenue to help plug Gordo's black hole.
Little effort is made to track down illegal immigrants who lose touch with the authorities, a senior immigration official has admitted.
David Roberts, of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), told MPs there was little point in hunting individuals who overstayed their visas. He said resources were better targeted instead on raiding firms which employed illegal workers*. He also said the IND had beaten targets for removing illegal immigrants.
Mr Roberts, who is head of removals at the directorate, said he did not "have the faintest idea" how many illegal immigrants there were in the UK, although he was aware of estimates suggesting it was about 400,000.
We are making huge efforts to remove them, but not on the basis of tracing individuals. He also admitted he did not know how many people had been told to leave the country.
*Why? Because firms employing illegal immigrants can be heavily fined thus generating revenue to help plug Gordo's black hole.
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