Even UKIP Say This Is Wrong The government have revealed a new initiative, being piloted in London boroughs, to encourage illegal immigrants to return voluntarily. This initiative has involved driving a van around Hounslow, Barking & Dagenham, Ealing, Barnet, Brent and Redbridge carrying a large billboard emblazoned with the message ‘GO HOME OR FACE ARREST’.
Further, there were reports of multiple arrests taking place last week, after numerous stop and searches were being carried out to target ‘immigration offenders’ in the UK. Most worryingly there have been reports of these random stops being carried out on the basis of ‘racial profiling’. These recent trends, in the context of many recent government ‘initiatives’, show that the government is starting to employ more extreme tactics in their immigration policies. Many people have objected strongly to the use of the words ‘Go Home’ on the pilot billboards, due to the inflammatory language being used and the likelihood that it will increase racial tension. The billboards have also been criticised for ignoring the many scenarios in which a person not legally in the UK can regularise their status in the UK rather than ‘Go Home’. It is further concerning to hear that random stop and searches are taking place of individuals on the street. It appears that as a result of these stop and searches, 130 arrests took place, with a number of people being required to attend an Immigration Reporting Centre with further evidence of their identity. However, there is no mechanism that the police or the Home Office can use to easily identify whether someone is legally in the UK. There will be many people who have entered the UK without needing to pass through visa controls (eg if they have come from the European Union). In addition, particularly if a person has travelled to the UK a number of years ago, there may be no record of a particular individual in the Home Office database, even though
they are legally in the UK. This will mean that many people who are in the UK legally, will also have to fear being arrested whilst going about their daily business. Essentially this means that to avoid the fear of being arrested, immigrants are being required to carry with them documentation which establishes their right to remain in the UK. It has been encouraging to see in the media how numerous concerns have been raised over these tactics and their potentially divisive nature, as well as the Liberal Democrats distancing themselves from the Conservatives when it comes to these campaigns. It is to be hoped that the pilots currently being carried out will receive enough negative media attention to show that the new tactics being employed by the Home Office are not supported by the public. In the UK illegally? There are many reasons why a person may be in the UK without regularised status at any time, and often they will not be the fault of the individual concerned. If you are not in the UK legally, then it is important that you do take steps to regularise your status. Many parts of the Immigration Rules recognise that applications can be made by people who are not legally in the UK at the current time, and therefore getting legal advice from an experienced legal representative will help you to identify what type of application would be best for you to make to regularise your status or indeed whether your only option is to return home. For further information or to discuss your case in detail, contact Mark Lilley-Tams : 0115 9644 105 or markl@paragonlaw.co.uk