Downing Street has stated it shares "the public's shock" following a BBC report that a convicted people smuggler, once dubbed the "godfather" of the Calais migrant camps, is residing in Britain. The government is urgently investigating the circumstances surrounding the case.
Details of the Case
The man, originally named Twana Jamal, was tracked down by the BBC to Leicestershire, where he reportedly changed his name and was working illegally while attempting to claim asylum. It is understood that he received a five-year prison sentence in France in 2019, where prosecutors alleged he earned up to £100,000 per week for smuggling people across the English Channel.
Government Response
A No 10 spokesperson told reporters: "I’m limited in what I can say on an individual case. But we share the public’s shock at these reports and we are working urgently to establish the facts. We will not tolerate abuse of our immigration system, and that is why we are deporting people with no right to be here at the highest rate in nearly a decade."
Political Reactions
Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, commented on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "This shines a light on a system that is not working. People are entering our country illegally in large numbers, and we really don’t know who many of them are. The man who was tracked down in Leicestershire should be arrested by the police for illegal working while the authorities should render any claims by him as null and void." Philp claimed that under a Conservative government, the man would be deported, but added, "However, if we try and do that it is likely he will make a human rights claim."
Home Office Involvement
Jacqui Smith, the skills minister, said the Home Office had been in touch with the BBC and wanted "the evidence necessary in order to take action." She told the BBC: "I am not sure that has fully happened but I am sure that is what the Home Office would want to see happen."
Broader Context
The BBC reported that it had identified more than 20 active smugglers who had reached the UK, and that immigration officers said it had become more difficult to check criminal records from some other countries since the UK left the EU. A Home Office spokesperson responded: "Despite repeated requests for verification, the BBC failed to provide evidence capable of substantiating the claims in this report. All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. We also have a number of agreements with countries which enable the sharing of criminal record information. Immigration enforcement action is at the highest level in British history, with illegal working arrests up by 83% and raids up by 77%."
Related Case: Rochdale Grooming Gang
This case emerged alongside another controversy: it was revealed on Tuesday that survivors of the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang had been told he was due for release from prison this week and could not be deported. Shabir Ahmed, 73, known to his victims as "Daddy," was convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls in 2012. Ahmed had dual British-Pakistani citizenship and was stripped of his British citizenship after conviction, but documents published online, apparently sent by the Probation Service to one of his victims, state he cannot be deported to Pakistan due to provisions in the Immigration Act 1971.
