Illegal immigration: New British plan to cut ‘pull’ factors

Britain has announced new plans to crack down on illegal immigrants by making landlords evict them as part of efforts to make the country less attractive – ‘streets are not paved with gold’ – for such migrants and failed asylum seekers.

The power to evict a person from a house was so far vested in the courts, but the new immigration bill scheduled to be moved in parliament later this year will require landlords to evict such individuals.

However, the plan attracted criticism from the National Landlords Association, which said it could lead to violent confrontations. The new plans could lead to tenants “doing very desperate things”, it said.

As per the new provision, landlords will be expected to evict illegal immigrants soon after receiving a Home Office notice that their tenant no longer has the right to rent in the UK. In some circumstances landlords will be able to act without a court order.

Landlords who fail to check the immigration status of tenants could be fined or imprisoned for up to five years under a new criminal offence to be included in the bill.

The plan is designed to discourage migrants from leaving their country of origin by showing, according to Home Office minister James Brokenshire that Britain is not a land of milk and honey.

In a joint article for The Sunday Telegraph, home secretary Theresa May and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve wrote: “Ultimately, the longterm answer to this problem lies in reducing the number of migrants who are crossing into Europe from Africa”.

“Many see Europe, and particularly Britain, as somewhere that offers the prospect of financial gain. This is not the case – our streets are not paved with gold.”