Migrants were deported by mistake, admits Home Office

A “HANDFUL” of people have been deported by mistake over the past six years, the Home Office has admitted.

Hugh Ind, the director general of immigration enforcement, told MPS that “up to five” people had been wrongly removed from Britain but could not say how many may have been detained by mistake.

He also acknowledged that there was a “deep problem” with wrongful immigration detentions and admitted around £3.3 million in compensation was paid out to people last year.

It came as Sir Philip Rutnam, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, admitted he was not an expert on immigration, and was branded “slippery” by MPS on the home affairs select committee for appearing to deny targets for deportations existed. He instead claimed there were “aims”.

Caroline Nokes, the immigration minister, told the committee, chaired by Yvette Cooper, that up to 8,000 people may have been wrongly detained or deported as part of the Windrush scandal but that the Home Office had yet to deliver a firm number.

She also denied knowing about cases of wrongful deportation and was later questioned over her ignorance when both Mr Ind and Sir Philip admitted they did know about migrants being forced to leave by mistake.

Ms Cooper said it was “an insult to this committee for you to appear before us ... not having some of the most basic details to hand for some of the questions we have asked”.

Controversy over the treatment of immigrants, especially the Commonwealth citizens who settled in the UK before 1973. led to the resignation of home secretary Amber Rudd last month after she gave misleading information to a previous session of the committee.