The British government has admitted that it is currently unable to deport hundreds migrants who pose a “threat” to the nation, including terrorists and extremists.
Round the clock surveillance of around 170 dangerous foreign nationals is necessary as a result of human rights laws preventing the Home Office from simply removing them from the United Kingdom, the Sunday Express reported.
Heinous criminals have long appealed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to avoid deportation. Despite the British public voting to leave the European Union in 2016, the UK’s membership in the ECHR was unaffected as it is technically a separate institution from the EU, even though they share the same flag, anthem, and even campus in Strasbourg.
Successive post-Brexit governments have refused to withdraw from the ECHR, however, amid increasing public anger of the migration crisis, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has vowed to overhaul the agreement with fellow member states to prevent hardened criminals and terrorists from avoiding deportation. Yet it remains to be seen if such reforms will be possible.
Indeed, in an impact assessment for the government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, the Home Office admitted: “Around 170 people are currently on restricted leave, with over half having been involved in terrorism or extremism-related activities.”
This means that while they cannot be removed from the country, the government will surveil those involved in “conduct such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, extremism, serious crime or where the person poses a threat to national security or public safety.”
Border Security and Asylum minister Alex Norris told the Daily Express that the government’s planned reforms will enable the deportation of terrorists.
“It is disgraceful that terrorists have been able to stay in the UK under previous rules. Our new laws will place strict restrictions on foreign nationals who pose a threat, tracking their every move,” he said.
“These laws will also enable us to get terrorists rapidly deported from British soil and keep our country safe.”
However, others, such as Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said that it demonstrated the need for Britain to withdraw from the ECHR to “deport every single one of these terrorists and extremists.”
“This government is clueless as to how bad the problem is and how to fix it,” he added.
In October, the governing Labour Party sided with the radical left Greens and the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats to vote against a bill from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to leave the ECHR.
Mr Farage said that the government is “filled to the brim with woke human rights lawyers” who “prioritise a foreign court in Strasbourg over the security of the British people”.