History > 2006 > UK > Immigration (II-V)

Riot squad fights

to regain control

of immigration detention centre

· Extensive damage from 'deliberate sabotage'
· Disturbance follows damning watchdog report

Alan Travis and Matthew Taylor
Thursday November 30, 2006

Guardian

Teams of specialist prison riot squad officers drafted in from across south-east England were last night still battling to regain control of Britain's largest immigration detention centre 18 hours after a disturbance had started.
An emergency operation got under way last night to evacuate a sizeable proportion of the 482-strong population, made up of immigration detainees and foreign prisoners facing repatriation, from the privately run Harmondsworth removal centre, near Heathrow.

Lin Homer, the head of the Home Office's immigration service, last night accused those involved of "making a deliberate attempt at sabotage in order to frustrate" their deportation from Britain. She said that no injuries to staff or detainees had been reported, and 150 low-risk immigration offenders in other detention centres would now be released to make way for those evacuated from Harmondsworth.

It is believed that the centre has suffered extensive damage, with furniture and bathroom fittings wrecked in all four wings and large sections waterlogged after fires lit by the detainees triggered the centre's sprinkler system.

The detainees spelled out a makeshift SOS help banner with bedsheets in one courtyard which was visible to a news company helicopter until the airspace above the centre was declared a "no fly zone".

The disturbance began hours after the publication of a damning report by the chief inspector of prisons, Anne Owers, criticising Harmondsworth's overemphasis on physical security and describing itself as her poorest ever report on an immigration centre.

The disturbance coincided with the prison population hitting a record 80,000 in England and Wales for the first time yesterday, and emergency preparations were being made to release hundreds of low risk immigration detainees to create room for those to be evacuated from Harmondsworth.

The loss of control at Britain's largest immigration centre underlines the pressure now faced by the home secretary, John Reid, who was warned yesterday at a closed symposium on penal policy that the situation inside overcrowded local prisons was now so volatile it endangered the staff.

The Harmondsworth disturbance follows a riot just two years ago at the centre, which only opened in 2001. The 2004 riot followed the suicide of a detainee and the centre had to be closed temporarily.

The Metropolitan police were called to Harmondsworth at 4am yesterday. Specialist prison officers, known as Tornado teams, were called in when fires were lit in all four wings of the centre. The fires triggered the centre's sprinkler system, causing extensive water damage and making large parts of the centre uninhabitable.

Officers battled through the night and all day yesterday to try to regain control of all four wings, but by 6pm last night prison officers had managed to regain full control of only one of the four wings, with some detainees continuing to defy them in the three other wings. George Mwangi, 30, who spent several months in Harmondsworth and was released in January, said: "I received a call last night that a riot had started at Harmondsworth.

"I could hear sounds of chaos in the background. I was told that fires had been started. I could hear things being smashed up, the sprinklers came on and the alarm was sounded.

"It sounded as if fixtures and fittings were getting broken ... The detainees I spoke to told me that the disturbances started because staff tried to prevent detainees watching the news when the critical inspection report about Harmondsworth was being talked about."

Solomon Gordon, a detainee at Harmondsworth, told Sky yesterday: "Some of the people have smashed up the toilets and some other things. We haven't eaten since yesterday and we only have one bottle of water in our rooms now."

Harmondsworth is run by Kalyx Ltd, formerly known as United Kingdom Detention Services. The loss of 500 places at Harmondsworth out of a total of 2,660 across Britain is a blow to Mr Reid's effort to juggle with the rising jail numbers.

The official figures showed that there were 79,908 inmates in prisons in England and Wales yesterday, with a further 152 in police cells under Operation Safeguard, making a record total of 80,060.

A Home Office spokesman said there were just 317 spare places in the prison system, but jails across the south-east of England were now full. The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Nick Clegg, said the position was now unsustainable: "The overcrowding crisis in our prisons is like watching a train crash in slow motion."

The report

What the chief inspector of prisons said in a report published this week about Harmondsworth:

· It is run with a regime as strict as any high security prison

· It has slipped into 'a culture wholly at odds with its stated purpose' since a 2004 riot

· 44% of detainees said they had been victimised by staff; 60% said they felt unsafe

· There is a high use of solitary confinement - 129 times in six months of 2006 - and extensive use of punishment of removal from association

· "This is undoubtedly the poorest report we have issued on an immigration removal centre"

· "This is not primarily the fault of staff ... but essentially a problem of management"

        Riot squad fights to regain control of immigration detention centre, G, 30.11.2006, http://www.guardian.co.uk/immigration/story/0,,1960301,00.html

1pm

Disturbances hit immigration centre

Wednesday November 29, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
Mark Oliver

Police and prison officers were today trying to regain control of Britain's largest immigration centre after major overnight disturbances.

Several fires were lit late last night at Harmondsworth immigration detention centre, in Middlesex, setting off the sprinkler system, and causing disruption in all four wings, the Home Office said.

The unrest at the privately run removal centre, near Heathrow, appeared to be prompted by the publication yesterday of a highly critical report by the chief inspector of prisons, Anne Owers.

The report said the regime at Harmondsworth - which has been the scene of repeated disturbances and currently holds 482 men facing deportation- was as strict as any high security prison and that detainees were victimised by staff. Some were strip-searched and temporarily locked in solitary confinement, it said.

Today, television footage taken from helicopters flying above the centre showed a number of detainees in a courtyard and words spelled out saying "help ... SOS ... freedom".

The Home Office said staff were talking to detainees, police had set up a cordon around the centre and fire crews were on standby.

It is understood that Home Office officials hoped the centre would be back under control within the next few hours.

A spokeswoman said there were no reports of injuries to staff or detainees. She would not comment on whether there had been any arrests.

A Home Office statement said: "A number of specialist officers from prisons across the south of England have been deployed. All four wings of the detention centre are involved in the incident.

"Police have assisted the prison and immigration services by securing the perimeter and there is absolutely no risk to the public."

The Metropolitan police said it was called to an incident at the centre at 12.40am today; the first fire alarm was set off at the centre at 11.36pm last night.

Ms Owers described her report as the poorest assessment yet that she had issued on such a facility. Since a riot took place in 2004 after a detainee committed suicide, the centre had slipped into "a culture wholly at odds with its stated purpose", the report said.

Harmondsworth, which can hold a total of 501 detainees, was not meeting any of the major tests and more than 60% of detainees said they felt unsafe. Their main fear was bullying by staff, with 44% of detainees claiming they had been victimised by staff, compared with a national average of 28%, the report said.

The centre holds immigration detainees, including asylum seekers whose applications are being considered under fast-track procedures.

The Home Office minister Liam Byrne said he took the chief inspector's recommendations "very seriously" and that an action plan was being drawn up to improve the centre.

    Disturbances hit immigration centre, G, 29.11.2006, http://www.guardian.co.uk/immigration/story/0,,1959849,00.html

4.45pm update

UK to limit EU entrants' working rights

Tuesday October 24, 2006
Mark Oliver
Guardian Unlimited

The home secretary, John Reid, today announced restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants' right to work in Britain after their countries join the EU in January.

The move was welcomed by those who argued that the movement of workers from eastern Europe is unsustainable. But others accused Mr Reid of caving in to the anti-immigration lobby.

Bulgarian and Romanian officials expressed disappointment that they had been singled out for restrictions.

The decision to abandon the government's open door policy towards eastern Europe comes after the Home Office underestimated how many workers would arrive when 10 new states, including eight central and east European countries, joined the EU in May 2004.

It was estimated around 15,000 economic migrants would enter the UK from these eight countries but in fact hundreds of thousands foreign workers have arrived, the majority of them from Poland.

Mr Reid announced the package of transitional control orders which will all be reviewed in 12 months.

The toughest new restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians focus on lower-skilled workers, who would initially be able to work only in the food processing and agricultural sectors, Mr Reid said.

A quota of 19,750 places a year has been put in place for these sectors in the new measures announced by the home secretary, in a written statement to parliament.

There will also be a new Migration Advisory Council which will analyse the UK labour market - and the policies on migrant workers in other EU countries - and give guidance on whether more unskilled workers from Bulgaria or Romania are needed, and if they could benefit other economic sectors.

Mr Reid said firms outside the food processing and agriculture sectors would have to "convince the government there is a genuine labour shortage, and such schemes would be limited by quota".

There will be no special restrictions on self-employed workers, paving the way for Bulgarians and Romanians - so-called A2 nationals - to compete with the UK's growing army of Polish plumbers.

Previous estimates said self-employed migrants in the last wave of EU expansion made up a third of the overall total. If this kind of proportion were repeated among would-be A2 economic migrants, this would suggest that a total of around 30,000 Romanians and Bulgarian workers would be coming to the UK.

Mr Reid said: "The terms of the accession treaty do not allow us to place restrictions on EU nationals' rights to come here to set up a business. So the self-employed will continue to be able to work here - and in all other EU countries - if they can prove when challenged that they are genuine, and not in fact employees posing as contractors."

Some A2 nationals - such as engineers and doctors - will be allowed to enter the UK to work under the highly skilled migrant programme; though it is thought unlikely these will account for more than 100 people a year.

Mr Reid said Romanian and Bulgarian students enrolled at approved colleges will be able to work part-time - last year these groups totalled 1,213. A2 workers with specialist skills which cannot be met by resident labour, provided they meet tests on qualifications and earnings - will also be allowed to work in the UK. This group numbered 1,740 last year.

Skilled workers, such as builders, were in the forefront of the previous wave of eastern European immigration, when there was no limit on the number of work permits issued.

Critics said restricting unskilled workers would lead to more people in the UK working illegally, but Mr Reid said A2 nationals working illegally would face on-the-spot fines. Firms who hired A2 nationals without proper permits would also face "heavy fines" he said. Reports suggested individuals faced fines up to £1,000 and firms faced fines up to £5,000. "Employing illegal workers undercuts legitimate business and leads to exploitation. It will not be tolerated," Mr Reid said.

The UK, Ireland and Sweden were the only countries to allow unrestricted rights to work when the new states joined in 2004. The citizens of countries that join the EU are allowed to live and work in any EU country, but countries are permitted to impose restrictions on the nationals of new member countries for seven years after they join in order to manage any transitional effects they might have on their economies.

Reports suggest there has not been full agreement in the cabinet about the best way to approach the accession of Bulgaria and Romania. Downing Street is believed to back Mr Reid's view that restrictions are necessary to prevent a political backlash. There have been particular concerns among some ministers about the impact of immigration on working class Britons, especially at a time when unemployment has been rising.

Today Mr Reid admitted there had been some "transitional impacts" from the last round of EU expansion in 2004, and some how local communities coped with sudden influxes of migrants.

He said: "A small number of schools have seen a significant increase in admissions. Some local authorities have reported problems of overcrowding in private housing. There have been cost pressures on English language training."

The Department of Communities and Local Government will audit local areas and work to meet "isolated and specific pressures", Mr Reid said. It was announced that funds of £400,000 will be made available to support schools with limited experience of teaching English to new migrant pupils.


Reid's plan 'unworkable'

Former minister for Europe Keith Vaz criticised Mr Reid's plan as "unworkable, undesirable and unnecessary" and said it damaged the "reputation of the UK as a champion" of EU enlargement.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said the restrictions were a "stop-gap system that is unlikely to prove workable", and said many A2 nationals would want to travel to work in southern Europe. "This complex scheme is asking a lot in terms of enforcement from an Immigration and Nationality Directorate which Dr Reid has branded unfit for purpose," Mr Clegg said.

The Tory home affairs spokesman, David Davis, said his party welcomed what Mr Reid said in principle and had called for restrictions on A2 nationals two months ago but added that there was scant detail. "Mr Reid has merely slipped out a limited written statement designed to deal with tomorrow's headlines but which leaves several important questions unanswered," Mr Davis said.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the Migration Watch pressure group, said: "This is not a U-turn but it is a turning point. The government have at last recognised that the present massive level of immigration is unsustainable, placing huge burdens on our society for very little economic benefit. These measures are a tiny step forward but they fall far short of an annual limit on immigration, which is now supported by 75% of the British public."

The latest figures show that 427,000 people arrived in Britain from Poland and the seven other ex-Communist states, but the figure may be 600,000, including self-employed workers such as builders.

    UK to limit EU entrants' working rights, G, 24.10.2006, http://politics.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,,1930324,00.html

4.30pm update

Judges rule Zimbabweans can be deported

Wednesday August 2, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
James Sturcke and agencies

Thousands of failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers could be sent home after the home secretary, John Reid, today won the right to deport them.

The asylum and immigration tribunal reversed an earlier decision and ruled Zimbabweans did not automatically face "a real risk of being subjected to persecution or serious ill-treatment" if returned to Robert Mugabe's regime.

Last October the AIT threw the government's deportation policy into doubt after a failed asylum seeker, who can be identified only as AA, won his appeal against the home secretary. But that decision has been reconsidered after the court of appeal ruled in April that the tribunal had "erred in law" in making its initial decision.

The judge today set out a number of caveats on his ruling, which could lead deportees to be at risk in Zimbabwe.

Deportees linked with Zimbabwean opposition parties or with military or criminal records may be at greater danger of serious mistreatment during interrogation by Zimbabwean authorities, the ruling said.

"If the reason for suspicion is that the deportee has a political profile considered to be adverse to the Zimbabwean regime, that is likely to be sufficient to give rise to a real risk of persecutory ill-treatment for a reason that is recognised by the Refugee Convention," the six-page document said.

"That will not necessarily be the case where the only matter of interest is a relevant military history or outstanding criminal issues. Each case must be considered on its particular facts."

A Home Office spokeswoman said enforced deportations to Zimbabwe may now resume within weeks.

Reacting to the decision, the immigration minister, Liam Byrne, said: "Enforcing the return of those who have no right to remain here is a key part of upholding a robust and fair asylum system. We recognise that there are Zimbabweans who are in genuine fear of persecution and that is why we have granted them asylum, but it is only right that we remove those who seek to abuse our hospitality.

"I am therefore pleased that the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal has today backed us and said that the involuntary return of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe does not put them at risk of mistreatment. It cannot be right though that an individual is able to abuse the asylum system and stay here indefinitely by virtue of their nationality, yet that is what has been happening."

Currently about 14 Zimbabweans are in immigration detention, although it was unknown how many were failed asylum seekers pending deportation and how many were being held for other reasons, such as foreign national prisoners awaiting removal.

An estimated 7,000 Zimbabwean failed asylum seekers are thought to be in the UK. In the first three months of this year, there were 755 new asylum applications from Zimbabwe.

The refugee council said it was "disappointed" by the judgment and that it was "not safe to remove anybody to Zimbabwe in the present circumstances".

"The ruling, while restoring the legal right to enforce removals, nonetheless makes it clear that a lot of people are at real risk if they are sent back," Tim Finch, the director of communications, said.

"We are very concerned to hear that the government is signalling plans to carry out removals this month on the justification that there has been a rise in applications. The judgement doesn't give a green light to mass removals at all and we hope the government will tread very cautiously and put safety first. In the end, one person sent back who faces persecution or worse, is one person too many."

On the steps of the court, the Zimbabweans who had come to hear the ruling declared their campaign would be taken up "on the British streets".

Prof Terence Ranger, an expert on Zimbabwe and emeritus professor of race relations and African history at Oxford University, told the AIT hearing last month that concerns still remain about the safety of deporting failed asylum seekers to the country.

Asked about a statement made in Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper in April by Didymus Mutasa, minister responsible for President Mugabe's feared security force the CIO, that Zimbabweans returning to their country would be "looked after very well", Prof Ranger said: "I do not find it credible. His statement... stands completely alone and has no context in previous material."

Last October, immigration judges delivered a scathing verdict on the decision of the then home secretary, Charles Clarke, to resume the deportation of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe, saying those sent back were handed straight over to security police.

The three judges said they were alarmed at the Home Office's lack of interest in what happened to those sent back and sharply criticised an official British mission to Harare for failing to find any new facts.

The ruling forced the government to revise its decision in July 2005 to resume deportations to Zimbabwe, on the grounds that it was a safe country. The decision triggered hunger strikes amongst the 140 Zimbabweans who were detained pending their deportation .

Last year's tribunal heard that anyone who claimed asylum in Britain was considered in Harare to be a traitor, and deportations were regarded as "a cloak for an attempt to infiltrate Blair's spies into Zimbabwe".

The tribunal decided that although the asylum seeker involved in the case had been fraudulent and dishonest in his dealings with the British authorities - he could not say the full name of the MDC opposition party, despite claiming to be an active member - he faced real risk of harm if he was returned to Zimbabwe.

    Judges rule Zimbabweans can be deported, G, 2. 8.2006, http://www.guardian.co.uk/zimbabwe/article/0,,1835687,00.html

Immigration reforms

Reid promises electronic border controls to check visitor numbers

· Biometric ID cards for foreign residents in UK
· 'Shop a rogue employer' plan to curb illegal jobs

Wednesday July 26, 2006
Guardian
Alan Travis, home affairs editor

The home secretary, John Reid, yesterday promised to introduce electronic border controls that will count in and out of the country the 90 million people who travel to Britain each year, but admitted the new system will not be fully running until 2014.

Mr Reid said the embarkation controls will form the cornerstone of his package to restore public confidence in the immigration service that he had declared "not fit for purpose". The "eBorders" programme logging all entries and exits will be introduced in stages over the next eight years, starting with highest risk routes, with enforcement action taken against those who overstay their welcome.

Embarkation controls were abolished for the 40% of travellers going to other European states by the Conservative government in 1994, with the remaining checks lifted by Labour in 1998 on the grounds that "they contributed little to the integrity of immigration control" as there was no way of accessing the mountain of paper they produced. The new system using modern technology will start in 2008 but will take six years to implement.

But Mr Reid was warned last night his reform programme will lack credibility unless he tackles the backlog of more than 250,000 illegal migrants already in the country, first by declaring a one-off regularisation programme or an amnesty. Jack Dromey of the Transport and General Workers' Union said he was extremely disappointed that any discussion of an amnesty had been dismissed in favour of tough talk of cracking down in the workplace. "It may be a politically unpopular bullet to bite, but only regularisation will make it transparent who is actually working in our economy," he said.

The home secretary yesterday again ruled out such calls for an amnesty but promised to settle, within five years, up to 450,000 unresolved "legacy" cases, which date back to the late 1990s. It is expected that those who can be easily removed will be deported but most will be quietly allowed to stay.

But Mr Reid unveiled other reforms to "strengthen Britain's borders" including:

· Introducing a new target for processing asylum claims with 35% granted or removed within six months by next year and 90% by 2011.

· Introduction of biometric identity cards for foreign nationals resident in Britain from 2008. The decision to push ahead with ID cards for foreigners before British citizens will trigger a high court challenge.

· Introduce biometric visas and "authority to travel" schemes so airlines face penalties if they carry passengers not entitled to enter Britain.

· Introduce with Crimestoppers a shop-a-rogue employer scheme to tackle those who employ illegal migrants.

· Put immigration staff at airports and ports into uniform and double resources for enforcement and surveillance.

A new drive will be made to step up removals of failed asylum seekers and illegal migrants with a fresh attempt made to reach memorandums of understanding with countries such as Algeria about the treatment of those sent back. Mr Reid said the government was prepared to legislate if its challenge to the Chahal judgment in the European court of human rights continued to act as a legal block on its attempt to deport international terror suspects.

"We will make it easier to deport people under UK law, within the terms of the judgment, limiting as far as possible the ability to stop the deportation of those the government considers necessary to deport or remove for reasons of national security," he said.

He confirmed the government is to press ahead with its new points-based migration system and said it will introduce a "trusted traveller" scheme that will speed their journey through airports.

Mr Reid said the package was only in outline and further details will be published later this year.

But the opposition was not impressed. The shadow home secretary, David Davis, called it "another reshuffling of the deck" while the Liberal Democrats' Nick Clegg said the reform programme was plagued by delays.

    Reid promises electronic border controls to check visitor numbers, G, 26.7.2006, http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1830198,00.html

'High-level disorganisation is not rare'

Wednesday July 26, 2006
Guardian
Paul Lewis

The appeal in courtroom five of Taylor House, the largest of the UK's 19 asylum and immigration appeal tribunal centres, began yesterday as proceedings so often do - with a delay.

Murat Bingol, 17, a Turkish Kurd refused asylum earlier this year, looked on in confusion as the Home Office presenting officer due to oppose his appeal, a Mr Haynes, told the judge he had not read his case file.

Judge Culver ordered the clerk to photocopy Mr Bingol's papers, and gave Mr Haynes an hour to prepare himself.

Mr Bingol, who says he was repeatedly detained and tortured by Turkish authorities because of his political activities with Kurdish opposition groups, returned to a waiting room, where a patchwork of nationalities waited.

It is not uncommon for Home Office lawyers to arrive at an appeal tribunal without having received the appellant's bundle of statements. "It happens in about 30% of cases," admitted one presenting officer. "It's a real pain. We're expected to be experts on countries we know little about and then we receive the files late, if at all. Usually the judge adjourns, or lets us photocopy the other [lawyer's] files, but that often gives us just half an hour to get to know the case and prepare our cross-examination and submission."

Only 14 of the 136 appeals scheduled for Taylor House's 23 courtrooms yesterday related to failed asylum claims. Asylum cases have been in decline for a while, say the clerks. Only about 5,000 tribunal appeals are thought to be pending, down from 39,000 last October.

Forty-nine of yesterday's appeals dealt with foreigners, mostly relatives of UK residents, who had been declined a visiting visa. Others concerned bail applications, deportations and applications to live or work in the UK.

But judges, presenting officers and legal counsel still complain about the inefficiency of the system. "High-level disorganisation from the Home Office is not rare," said one waiting immigration lawyer. "I had an appeal that remained lodged in the system for two years."

Back in courtroom five, however, Mr Haynes had read his file, cross-examined Mr Bingol and his witnesses, and made his submission, as had Mr Bingol's barrister. The case was complete. "Well, Mr Bingol, I'm going to allow this appeal," said the judge, breaking with a convention that sees most immigration judges post their decision.

From the huddle of tears and smiles, someone from the family shouted thanks to the judge.

"I'm only doing my job," he said.

    'High-level disorganisation is not rare', G, 26.7.2006, http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1830130,00.html

Immigration

Britain is not an island

Wednesday July 26, 2006
Guardian
Leader

Like other large European countries, Britain faces increased migration pressures from inside Europe and beyond, all of which bring a mix of benefits and problems. Annual migration to this country has nearly doubled since 1994. There has been a huge hike in migration from the eight new accession states of the EU, notably Poland, since 2004; new estimates put the numbers at about 600,000. In 2007, these may rise further if the UK gives labour rights to Romanians and Bulgarians. The Institute of Public Policy Research predicts 56,000 new migrants from the two countries in 2007; MigrationWatch says 300,000 in the first 20 months.

New migrants can bring economic benefits; in the first eight months of eastern European EU accession, their nationals put an estimated £240 million into the UK economy. Yet when migration trends are set beside the perception, and in some cases the reality, of faltering control, public concern is understandable. The high-profile failure to deport foreign prisoners and the admission that the Home Office still has 450,000 unresolved cases are not trivial. It is not surprising that the home secretary's new control plan should be subtitled Rebuilding Confidence in our Immigration System. That is indeed a very necessary task.

There is much in the new plan that deserves support and that was already signalled under Charles Clarke, but there is also a nagging sense of unrealistic expectations. Putting immigration officers in uniform is a public gesture. But the expansion of overseas application centres, the reimposition of embarkation controls and a fresh attempt to hear deportation appeals overseas are more aggressive parts of the new seriousness. As the home affairs committee said this week, though, the main control effort will be focused inside this country.

Tighter pressure on employers is one aspect of this. Biometric ID cards for long-stayers, including those already here, are an even larger challenge. The government may have put the national ID card system on ice because of cost and other doubts, but cards may still be controversial in this focused context. Whether they will work remains a very open question. A disappointment in the new plan, though, is the absence of a European dimension. Just when the EU (including the UK) is starting maritime patrols to deter illegal migration to the Canaries, Sicily and Malta, the government should have adopted a more vigorously pan-European approach and a less cringing endorsement of the view that modern migration pits the UK alone against a hostile world.

    Britain is not an island, G, 26.7.2006, http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1830040,00.html

3pm

Immigration service to track all UK visitors

Tuesday July 25, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
Matt Weaver and agencies

Everyone travelling to and from Britain will be counted in and out under a new crackdown on immigration, the home secretary, John Reid, announced today, although the system won't be in place until 2014.

The scheme is part of an overhaul of the scandal-hit immigration service and includes plans for the automatic deportation of foreign prisoners.

Outlining the measures, Mr Reid admitted that "there is no overnight solution".

"We will extend exit controls in stages based on risk, identify who overstays and count everyone in and out, while avoiding delays to travellers, by 2014," he said.

He also unveiled new targets for dealing with asylum cases, with a pledge to tackle 90% of cases within six months by 2011, and a series of interim targets.

The plan, which is designed to make the system "fair, efficient, transparent and trusted", also includes:

· a revamped Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) with tougher powers and to be run at arm's length from the Home Office;

· uniformed border-control officers;

· a doubling of the budget for immigration control by 2010;

· forcing foreigners from high-risk countries to have biometric identity cards by 2008;

· requiring all non-European nationals to have identity numbers before they can travel to the UK;

· introducing tougher penalties for those employing illegal immigrants, including seizing assets;

· requiring evidence of nationality during contact with the criminal justice system;

· the appointment of a new special envoy to help win agreement with EU and other countries on the return and re-documentation of immigration offenders, and

· the appointment of Stuart Hyde, an assistant chief constable with the West Midlands Police, as senior director for enforcement at the IND.

The measures come after Mr Reid's predecessor, Charles Clarke, was forced out of office in May over the system's failure to consider more than 1,000 foreign criminals for deportation.

Since then, the immigration system has been hit by a number of other embarrassing revelations, including the news that five illegal immigrants had turned up to work as cleaners at the IND offices and allegations of "sex for asylum" deals at an immigration processing centre.

Shortly after his appointment, Mr Reid admitted that the immigration system was "not fit for purpose" and had inadequate leadership.

This came after Dave Roberts, the director of enforcement and removals at the IND, told the home affairs select committee he did not have "the faintest idea" how many illegal immigrants were in Britain.

On Sunday, the committee said the immigration system was "clearly inadequate".

The Liberal Democrats criticised the government's delay in tackling the problems and questioned whether Mr Reid's proposals would provide a solution.

The party's home affairs spokesman, Nick Clegg, said: "It beggars belief that the government has taken nearly 10 years to sort out the administrative mess of our immigration system.

"We need a comprehensive approach to reform, not merely cosmetic changes."

The Conservatives also dismissed the plan. The shadow home secretary, David Davis, described the problems linked to immigration as the result of a "policy failure so huge it has overwhelmed the entire system".

And he criticised the plan for uniformed border officers as a "ludicrous piece of window dressing".

Mr Davis said: "What is necessary is a properly constituted and powerful border-control police making use of all possible manpower to maximum effect to protect our borders and with it public safety."

    Immigration service to track all UK visitors, G, 25.7.2006, http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1828339,00.html

Working the system

June 01, 2006
The Times
By Richard Ford, Home Correspondent

THOUSANDS of illegal immigrants are being issued with national insurance numbers every year even though officials know that they have suspect immigration documents.

Staff in Jobcentres have been told that they have a duty to issue an NI number even if they realise that the applicant has forged documents and no legal right to work, official papers seen by The Times reveal.

The NI number, which employers regard as a prerequisite to work, can also be used to claim various benefits.

When Jobcentre staff have evidence or suspicions that an applicant has no right to work in Britain, they pass information to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to consider prosecution. Last year, the details of 3,300 immigrants granted NI numbers on the basis of suspect documents were passed on, but the Home Office admitted yesterday that it had no figures for prosecutions. A spokesman said: “We would not have a number for prosecutions of people who falsified immigration documents in order to get a national insurance number”.

Lord Grabiner, QC, who called for reform of the system in a report to ministers six years ago, last night called the situation a scandal. He said: “One of my key concerns was that if you got hold of an NI number then it gave you access to all kinds of benefits — everything that was going. It was a fundamental part of the story.”

The disclosure will cause another headache for John Reid, the Home Secretary, because it highlights yet another area of the immigration system that officials described yesterday as “not fit for purpose”.

The disclosure by The Times comes after the release of more than 1,000 foreign prisoners without deportation checks and the admission by a senior Home Office official that he did not have the “faintest idea” how many illegal immigrants there were in Britain.

MPs said last night that the disclosure highlighted the lack of joined-up government and the depth of the crisis over illegal immigration.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: “Failing to check the immigration status of individuals seeking NI numbers is one thing but deliberately issuing those numbers even when the Department for Work and Pensions suspects, and in some cases knows, the document to be forged is a travesty of the system in place”.

    Working the system, Ts, 1.6.2006, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2205976,00.html