Caught in swoop, ‘bogus immigration lawyers’ at their garage office
THREE people have been arrested for allegedly posing as immigration lawyers to bolster bogus asylum claims from a suburban garage.
As part of a crackdown sparked by the Mail’s investigation into crooked advisers charging illegal immigrants up to £10,000 to help them make fraudulent claims, the trio were held yesterday morning in a Home Office raid.
Among them are a married couple alleged to have been supplying fake documents to enable foreign nationals to falsify asylum claims and
‘Relentless in our pursuit’
remain in the UK. It is believed they have been charging more than £3,000 per client, specialising in helping Chinese immigrants.
The Home Office said those arrested were a mixture of British and Chinese nationals.
Following last year’s exposé, which saw the Mail praised yesterday by ministers, our reporter and photographer were invited to watch the raid at a detached house in east Manchester. Extraordinary pictures show how behind the white roller door, the ‘garage’ was in fact a fully equipped office containing five work stations and printing equipment.
The extended property is monitored by security lights, CCTV cameras and multiple alarms, and has metal bars across a ground- floor window. After allowing immigration enforcement officers entry to the property, the suspects were taken away for questioning, while computer equipment was seized for analysis.
Last July the Mail revealed how crooked lawyers were creating fake asylum and human rights claims for illegal immigrants.
In one case, a legal adviser told an undercover reporter that he could invent claims of sexual torture, beatings, slave labour, false imprisonment and death threats.
At another firm, a lawyer said he would have to ‘create the evidence’ to make it appear the reporter had a genuine fear of ‘persecution and assassination’ if he returned to his home country.
He boasted of a success rate of more than 90 per cent. Our investigation led to the Solicitors Regulation Agency suspending three legal firms caught offering to lodge fake asylum applications.
Michael Tomlinson, minister for illegal migration, said: ‘This operation shows once again that we are relentless in our pursuit of those we suspect of abusing and gaming our immigration system for profit. The Daily Mail has led the way in highlighting the wider issues around asylum legal practices with their undercover investigations.’
Andrew Radcliffe, of the Home Office, said: ‘These arrests send a clear message to the criminals exploiting our laws and borders. Facilitating illegal entry into the UK will not be tolerated.’