Failed asylum seekers escape deportation by 'throwing tantrums'

12 April 2012

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has revealed that a number of asylum seekers have escaped deportation due to their 'disruptive behaviour'

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith revealed that 2,079 have been spared removal as a result of their "disruptive behaviour" in the past two years.

In each case, thousands of pounds had been spent detaining the bogus refugees, holding them in removal centres and arranging flights.

However, once they arrived at the airport to board their flight home, they behaved so erratically that airlines refused to take them for safety reasons.

They had to be returned to removal centres - plunging the Government attempt to reduce the backlog of 450,000 cases into chaos.

Miss Smith disclosed the figures in a letter to David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary.

He said: "This latest shambles shows yet again this Government's incompetence in managing our immigration system."

Officials managed to remove only 18,280 bogus refugees last year but at the same time 20,700 more failed asylum seekers were added to those awaiting deportation - effectively increasing the backlog by 2,420,

Increasingly, the Government is relying on 'bribing' failed claimants to leave.

More than 5,300 of the refused applicants who left the UK last year did so after being handed up to £3,000 in cash and support under the Assisted Voluntary Return Programme.

The Home Office's record on removals for the start of this year has been poor.

There were 3,280 failed asylum seekers removed between April and June - down 38 per cent on the same period last year.

Home Office officials say the decline was due to officials concentrating on deporting foreign criminals.

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There were 3,280 failed asylum seekers removed between April and June - down 38 per cent on the same period last year

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