(Web Desk) - More than 45,000 foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers will be removed over the coming decade thanks to a significant expansion of detention capacity, said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
‘The projects at Haslar and Campsfield Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) will contribute to a 40% increase in the UK’s detention capacity for those with no right to be here.
‘These expansions will more than triple the cumulative capacity at these centres from 290 to 1,000 beds, with each additional detention space translating to more offenders and illegal migrants removed from our country.
‘This sends a clear message: if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay, the Home Secretary said.
‘Returns and deportations are at their highest level in nearly a decade.
Nearly 70,000 individuals with no right to be here have been removed from the UK since this government took office.
But we will not stop there. These expansions will see thousands more foreign criminals and illegal migrants who have no right to be here removed, he added.
Last week a report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) showed the government inherited a migration system with over 412,000 illegal migrants in the UK.
This expansion will further build on the dramatically intensified enforcement action the Home Office has undertaken since the report, with deportations soaring to the highest level in a decade.