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๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France /Crime & Justice

UK faces shock as leaked document reveals 200,000 irregular migrants cannot be expelled

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • A leaked document from the UK's Home Office reveals over 400,000 irregular migrants are in the country.
  • Nearly half of these individuals, over 200,000, are classified as "unexpellable" due to ongoing asylum or human rights claims.
  • The revelations have caused shock in the UK amid heightened debate on immigration and upcoming stricter asylum legislation.

Shockwaves are rippling through the United Kingdom following the leak of a Home Office document detailing the presence of over 400,000 migrants without legal status. This revelation comes at a particularly sensitive time, with the government preparing to introduce more restrictive asylum legislation in Parliament next week and an ongoing heated public debate surrounding immigration.

The leaked data indicates that the Immigration Enforcement agency has identified 412,191 individuals lacking legal status in the UK. This group encompasses foreign workers, students, and visitors who have overstayed their visas, as well as asylum seekers who arrived illegally or whose initial claims were rejected but have since appealed.

Crucially, the document, as reported by The Times, classifies 201,926 of these individuals as "unexpellable." This designation stems from ongoing immigration procedures, including asylum applications and human rights appeals, which prevent their removal from the country. The sheer scale of this figure, nearly half of the total irregular migrant population, has intensified concerns.

These figures have ignited public outrage and intensified calls for stricter border control measures. The government's upcoming legislative proposals are expected to face significant scrutiny as the nation grapples with the complexities of managing irregular migration and the legal frameworks governing asylum and deportation.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.