Page 14. South East Times. Issue 65
Illegal immigrants smuggled
out of UK and back again
An undercover journalist filmed 21
illegal immigrants inside a lorry being
taken on to a ferry and into France.
Most said they intended to return.
John Vine, former Independent Chief
Inspector of Borders and Immigration,
said the film exposed serious issues.
The Port of Dover said exit checks were
being introduced at ports from April.
Illegal immigrants leave the UK to evade
deportation by the authorities here, but
some are being smuggled back in to the
UK after being registered as asylum
seekers in Italy.
An asylum loophole means that, if then
caught in the UK, they are likely to be
returned to Italy rather than their country
of origin.
The illegal immigrants were filmed
secretly inside the lorry by Afghan
journalist Ajmal, posing as an illegal
immigrant.
He had been told by a UK-based people
smuggler he could be smuggled out of
the country almost any day of the week
for £300.
Ajmal handed over the cash to the
people smugglers in Walthamstow, east
London, and was driven in a people
carrier to Detling, Kent with seven
illegal immigrants.
The driver demanded another 100
euros from each person. All eight were
transferred to a lorry parked in a layby.
The truck, which already had 14 illegal
immigrants on board from Birmingham
and Manchester, entered the Port of
Dover at 23:45 GMT, driving past Kent
Police officers and British and French
passport controls.
It waited for four hours before boarding
a Dunkirk ferry.
The journey ended at Veurne on the
Belgian border, from where some illegal
immigrants were being driven on to other
European destinations.
Ajmal was told how to get to the nearest
railway station and that the gang would
smuggle him back to the UK if he
wished - but the price for the return trip
would be £1,200. The illegal immigrants
in the lorry told Ajmal they were
Pakistani and Indian nationals, with
three from Afghanistan. Some said they
had entered the UK on student visas,
while others came illegally and were
now fleeing possible deportation.
Most told Ajmal they intended to return
to Britain again using criminal gangs.
asylum claim to be processed.
“Most people think illegal immigrants
are trying to get into the UK,” he said.
“All the efforts of the authorities are
focused on preventing people from
coming here illegally.
“I don’t think people realise the
extent of the trade of shipping people
out of the UK into other parts of Europe
and elsewhere in the world.
“I think it exposes an issue the
authorities need to look at very
seriously.”
‘Firm action’
The UK government has introduced
Why do illegal immigrants want to be exit checks at all ports, airports and
smuggled out of UK?
Eurotunnel effective from 8 April.
It enables them to avoid deportation
A spokeswoman for the Home office
from the UK and also to exploit an
said the UK offered sanctuary to those
asylum loophole that allows them to stay who “genuinely need our protection “
in Europe.
but took firm action to prevent illegal
They travel to Italy, where they claim
migration and the “abuse of our asylum
asylum and are then free to leave - they system”.
then return to Calais to be smuggled
“A joint task force of the National Crime
back into the UK.
Agency, Border Force and Immigration
A Home Office spokesman said if an
Enforcement teams is working closely
illegal immigrant is discovered in the
with European investigators to disrupt
UK they are detained and in most cases the organised crime behind illegal
they make a claim for asylum. They
migration,” she added.
are then deported to their home country The Port of Dover said all freight
where their appeal can be heard.
customers would be asked to present
But if they began the asylum process in passports or national identity cards at
Italy, they are taken back there for their check-in.
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