UK NEWS

ILLEGALS ARE NOW FREE TO VANISH AT WEEKENDS

QUEUE FOR UK: Would-be immigrants would not be tracked at the weekend

Monday March 3,2008

By Nick Fagge

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(7)

WEEKENDS will be “open season” for illegal immigrants or foreign criminals to evade capture because border control staff will not search for them.

Officers have been told not to bother tracking them down at weekends – or on bank holidays – to save money, the Immigration Service Union reveals.

The union said that staff at the Border and Immigration Agency have been told they must seek boardroom approval and give three weeks notice for any “routine” operations outside regular Monday to Friday hours.

It is part of an attempt to plug a £100million hole in their budget.

The union said the new arrangements will not affect immigration desks at ports and airports but will seriously jeopardise the effectiveness of the agency’s Enforcement Directorate. which tracks down and deports thousands of illegal migrants, failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals.

Last night the union claimed the overtime ban will make Saturdays and Sundays “open season” for the illegals.

Vice president John Tincey said: “We know from experience some raids can only be carried out successfully at weekends.

“There are factories, cleaning firms and so on who hire illegal foreign workers to fill unpopular weekend shifts, for example.”

Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green said: “This shows that all the Government’s tough talk about fighting illegal immigration is meaningless flannel.

“If the agency is a Monday to Friday, 9 till 5 operation, the people-smugglers and traffickers will be laughing at us.”

Mr Tincey added: “We work closely with the police but we fear that this cutback will damage this relationship if there are no immigration officers available when they call.

“We fear that enforcement operations inside the UK may run down and grind to a halt.

“It is an essential part of immigration control that people who get into the country illegally are discovered and removed. Otherwise once illegal immigrants get into Britain, they are home free.”

The new rules, due to take effect on April 1, are in a memo to the agency’s 1,500 enforcement staff. Yesterday the Home Office maintained immigration officers would still be on call 24 hours a day for “emergency work” at the weekend and that the new rules only applied to “routine work”.

A spokeswoman said the new rules will not stop weekend work. It was simply that approval must be sought three weeks in advance before it can go ahead.

In January it emerged that immigration officers had been told not to deport foreign students who overstay their visas.

The officers have been advised not to proceed with student cases unless they are deemed a priority, meaning thousands of foreigners could stay on illegally.

GOVERMENT IGNORING BRITISH PEOPLE

03.03.08, 9:39pm

I was once told by someone close to immigration that half the Chinese in Belfast were illegal.When I asked why the goverment does not take action,he said the goverment had no intention of taking action or words to this effect.People in the UK really need to take action against this goverment to stop this madness.No matter what,this goverment does not want to listen to the majority of the British people and I hope they pay for it at the poles.People should vote for someone who will take proper action and give Britian back to the British people.

• Posted by: ulsterman • Report Comment

ILLEGALS

03.03.08, 1:17pm

I liked the "The union said the new arrangements will not affect immigration desks at ports and airports" I've seen that desk. usually unmanned so hardly likely to be affected.

It's hardly likely to have an effect anyway as there has been precious little searching for them so far. When they do find them? Just give them directions to the nearest immigration centre and turn them loose. Deport them? Heaven forbid, it's their 'uman rights init.

We can only pray for a government with bottle enough to reverse this mess and hopefully bring these traitorous, money grubbing, self serving shambles to justice. No that won't do either as they will only get community service.

Is there a party that is up to the job? sadly no. Call me Dave would be infinitely better than the present incumbents but they just don't have the bottle

• Posted by: Wrinkles1 • Report Comment

NO WOODEN HORSE.

03.03.08, 12:44pm

As JimCardiff01 sees it as another Pearl Harbour, i see it as another Troy but without the wooden horse. No need for the horse they are coming in with welcome arms until we are outnumbered and then all hell will happen.

• Posted by: owldshep • Report Comment

STOP THE ROT

03.03.08, 10:47am

There is only one party that would stop the rot in this country, but the media won't let them voice their policies.

• Posted by: beowulf • Report Comment

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

03.03.08, 9:52am

It is a frightening situation when you realise that this bunch of crooks running the country have another 2 years in which to complete the destruction of a once proud nation. My only prayer is that when someone gets into power with the balls to stand up for the people of this country they hold these traitors to account.

• Posted by: Col • Report Comment

ILLEGALS ARE NOW FREE TO VANISH AT WEEKENDS

03.03.08, 9:45am

This is Pearl Harbour all over again, until the attack on PH the USA military only attended five days a week and the Japs knew it, they took full advantage (ahso thankyou velly much cowboy) and crippled the Pacific fleet.
The Government knows there is a threat of illegals invading us so they should be on alert twenty four hours a day all year long, anything else is pure folly.

• Posted by: JimCardiff01 • Report Comment