Fury at UK 'asylum amnesty'

EXPLOSIVE claims that border police introduced an unofficial asylum "amnesty" that let over 160,000 immigrants stay in the UK have sparked fury.

In a damning report, the Home Affairs Select Committee said the UK Border Agency had used the desperate measure to help clear an enormous backlog.
A staggering 161,000 asylum seekers - or 40 per cent of unresolved cases - were given leave to stay in Britain.
Committee chairman Keith Vaz slammed the findings saying the UKBA was not "fit for purpose".
The report said: "We understand that ministers would have been unwilling to announce an amnesty for the applicants caught up in this backlog, not least because this might be interpreted as meaning that the UK was prepared more generally to relax its approach towards migration.
"But we consider that in practice an amnesty has taken place, at considerable cost to the taxpayer."

Immigrants

The report added: "The net result is that a very large number of people remain in the UK who either have no right to be here or who would have been removed had their cases been dealt with in a timely manner."
The report estimated that 74,500 cases were dropped because the immigrants could not be found.
And just 38,000 were booted out of the UK by officials.
Critics of the influx were furious as immigration minister Damian Green continued to deny any amnesty today.
Outraged Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, said: "David Cameron has previously slapped down fellow Conservatives for daring to suggest an amnesty for illegal immigrants yet it appears this is exactly what is happening.
"In order to maintain an effective immigration system, those that have overstayed their visas and therefore have no right to legally be in the UK need to be removed, not covertly merged into society.
"The system is not working and with cuts to the UK Border Agency's budget, it can only get worse."
Mr Vaz said doubts remained over the agency's ability to handle its remit.

Damning ... Keith Vaz says UKBA is not 'fit for purpose'

He said: "While there is no doubt that individual caseworkers are dedicated and hard-working, there are serious concerns over the agency's ability to deal with cases and respond to intelligence swiftly and thoroughly. "The Government is set on reducing immigration to the tens of thousands and effectively controlling immigration.
"It will have to ensure that the UK Border Agency begins to focus on the outcome rather than the processes of their work."

Clamp

The report is yet another blow for the Government, which has vowed to clamp down on immigration.
But last week, new figures showed net migration had soared to a six-year high of 242,000.
Ministers say they will slash the number of visas being given to foreigners, and tighten border controls, to help deal with the problem.
Today Mr Green claimed there had been no big leap in the number of people granted leave to remain, insisting the "40 per cent grant rate has been pretty consistent since 2005".
He said: "I would accept there was some truth in the allegations of an amnesty if there had been a big leap in that 40 per cent figure under this Government. But actually the opposite is the case."
He said the the Government "inherited a shambles", adding: "The immigration system, which was completely chaotic, is getting better.
"Inevitably, when you are turning around as big a problem as this it is going to take a few years, but we can see measurable progress in the first year of this Government."
Asylum claims were at their lowest in 20 years, he claimed, and the Government was cracking down on sham marriages and abuse of student visas.
Shadow home office minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: "This is woeful mismanagement."
He continued: "Following the Government's decision to cut over 5,000 staff from the UKBA, we have repeatedly warned the Home Office that enforcement will suffer as a result.

"This report shows that managers and staff at UKBA consistently say there are not sufficient resources to track and return illegal immigrants."
He added: "This is woeful mismanagement from the Home Office, adding to the confusion surrounding their policy.
"We still do not know whether their promise of cutting net migration to the tens of thousands by 2015 is Government policy or not, while enforcement of the UK's borders is being undermined by cuts.
"The Conservatives made big promises on immigration, but they are failing to deliver."