Four main ways to become an illegal immigrant in Britain and disappear forever – Alp Mehmet

The situation with illegal immigration in the UK is deeply troubling, and what makes it even more concerning is that the government seems to have little understanding of the scale of the problem and isn’t making enough effort to address it.

This is the view of Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK. People can become illegal immigrants in several ways. Some enter the country secretly, often by being smuggled in lorries or small boats.

Others arrive legally, perhaps for a short visit, work, study, or family reasons, but then stay on after their visas expire or their applications to remain are denied. There are also those who refuse to leave after their asylum claims are rejected or their appeals fail. Additionally, children born to illegal immigrants in the UK are also considered part of the illegal population.

Back in September 2018, Migration Watch UK examined the scale of illegal immigration and estimated that around 70,000 people were being added to the UK’s illegal population each year. This figure was highlighted in a detailed briefing paper.

At that time, very few migrants were arriving in small boats. In fact, this method of illegal entry only began in October 2018, and by the end of that year, around 299 people had crossed the Channel in this way.

By December 2018, the Home Secretary at the time, Sajid Javid, declared the increasing number of small boats and migrants crossing the Channel a “major incident.” If he thought that was serious, one wonders how he would describe the situation in 2024, when the number of crossings reached 36,816—a 25% increase from the previous year.

Even back in 2018, it was clear that without strong action and with the lenient handling of those arriving, the numbers would only grow. And that’s exactly what happened.

The reason for this increase is simple: migrants who arrived illegally were often allowed to stay. Many were granted asylum or given permission to remain on humanitarian grounds.

This sent a message to others that it was easier to secure asylum or stay in the UK compared to other European countries. As a result, more people were encouraged to make the journey.

Many of those who crossed the Channel illegally destroyed their identification documents, making it difficult to determine their true identities or origins.

They also arrived with fabricated stories, often claiming to be younger than they were or presenting themselves as unaccompanied minors. These stories, crafted with the help of traffickers, were hard to disprove. One shocking example of this is the case of Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, a violent criminal from Afghanistan who arrived in the UK in December 2019.

He claimed to be a 14-year-old unaccompanied minor, despite having a history of violence, including two murders in Serbia and a drug conviction in Italy. His asylum application had already been rejected by Norway, yet he was allowed into the UK.

It took two years to establish his true age, and during that time, he went on to murder Tom Roberts, a young aspiring marine, in March 2022. This case highlights the challenges faced by border officials when dealing with individuals who destroy their documents and lie about their identities.

The UK’s asylum system, immigration courts, and even the European Court of Human Rights often seem to favor migrants, making it difficult to remove those who shouldn’t be here.

The question is: how many more individuals like Abdulrahimzai are hiding in the shadows? In 2017, a report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration revealed that little was being done to locate the vast majority of the 55,000 illegal immigrants the Home Office had lost track of. This group included failed asylum seekers, immigration offenders, and foreign national offenders.

Estimating the total number of illegal immigrants in the UK is challenging, but Migration Watch UK believes it could be between 1.5 and 2 million people. This estimate is based on research by the respected US think tank, Pew Research Center, which in 2017 estimated the number to be between 800,000 and 1.2 million. Pew’s work was itself based on a 2007 study by the London School of Economics, which put the number of unauthorized immigrants at between 417,000 and 863,000.

Earlier estimates by Migration Watch in 2010 suggested the figure was around 1 million. Given these numbers and the fact that around 70,000 illegal immigrants were being added to the population each year, it’s reasonable to assume that the number has grown significantly since 2017. With fewer immigration offenders and failed asylum seekers being removed, and more people arriving illegally, the total could now easily be between 1.5 and 2 million.

The truth is, we can never be certain of the exact number of people living in the UK illegally. Even more worrying is that the government doesn’t seem to know either and isn’t making much effort to find out. This lack of clarity raises serious concerns, especially when it comes to public safety.

How many of these individuals are criminals or potential criminals? The government appears more focused on protecting the human rights of migrants, often at the expense of the British people, who bear the financial and social costs of this crisis. The situation calls for urgent action, but so far, there seems to be little political will to address it effectively.