56,000 foreign nationals are missing
TENS of thousands of foreign nationals – including convicted criminals and illegal immigrants – have disappeared off the Home Office radar, statistics reveal.
At the end of last year, there were nearly 56,000 “declared absconders”, two reports from the immigration watchdog said.
More than 700 foreign national offenders were recorded as having disappeared after being released into the community.
The assessments detail how about 80,000 people who are liable to be removed from Britain are required to report to officials regularly rather than being held in detention while their case is determined. The number includes those who have entered the country unlawfully, breached their original conditions of entry, face deportation as a result of committing a crime, and asylum seekers.
Ministers acknowledged that parts of reviews – published by Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Bolt, a former M15 officer – made for “difficult reading”. The reports warn there is “little evidence” that effective action is being taken to locate the vast bulk of absconders.
It revealed that foreign criminals can fail to attend meetings with staff on as many as 19 occasions before the alarm is raised.
The reviews also said nearly a third of planned removals of criminals had failed.