Patel gets tough on foreign criminals
FOREIGN criminals jailed for longer than a year must be considered for deportation, Priti Patel revealed yesterday.
The Home Secretary set out details of a post-Brexit pointsbased immigration system and said criminals from the European Union will be treated the same as those from the rest of the world.
She confirmed the new system, which will come into force in January, will “take back control of our borders, crack down on foreign criminals and unleash our country’s true potential”.
Foreigners seeking a visa could be barred if they have served more than 12 months in prison.
Those here who commit crimes and are sentenced to more than a year in jail should automatically be considered for deportation.
Even criminals jailed for less than 12 months will be considered for deportation if “it is conducive to the public good” – repeat offenders are set to be among those facing deportation.
A Home Office official claimed under the existing rules EU criminals effectively had to be “worse” criminals before action could be taken. But sources said the Government is clamping down on foreign offenders by creating a single threshold.
Ms Patel told MPs yesterday: “The British public voted to leave the EU, they voted to take back control of our borders and end free movement.
“Last year, the British people voted to get Brexit done and introduce a points-based immigration system.
“We are doing exactly that. Despite the best efforts of the party opposite, we are ending free movement and we are introducing a points-based system, a system which will enable us to attract the brightest and the best, a firmer and fairer system that will take back control of our borders, crack down on foreign criminals and unleash our country’s true potential.”
Home Office documents published yesterday revealed: “Those already in the UK who are sentenced to 12 months or more in prison must be considered for deportation.
“Where the 12-month criminality deportation threshold is not met, a foreign criminal will still be considered for deportation where it is conducive to the public good, including where they have serious or persistent criminality.
“For EU citizens who are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement or the UK’s domestic implementation of the withdrawal agreements, the tougher UK criminality thresholds will apply to conduct committed after the end of the transition period.”