Starmer accused of mimicking Tory ‘hostile environment’ over migration as 13,500 removed from UK

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Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of continuing the previous Tory government’s so-called “hostile environment” approach to migration after the Home Office hailed a new crackdown on immigration crime.

On Sunday, the government announced that nearly 13,500 migrants have been removed from Britain since the election, as well as pledging to put £8m towards technology for immigration enforcement operations such as raids and arrests.

It comes after Labour previously pledged to return more people who do not have a right to stay in the country halfway through their first year in office than any other six-month period since 2018.

While the government said the figures show it is on track to deliver on its returns pledge, which would need to be met by early January, campaigners have hit out at the approach, comparing it to that of the previous Tory government.

The Conservative Party, which put a controversial plan to send migrants to Rwanda at the centre of their migration strategy, was often accused of using dehumanising language to describe refugees.

Julia Tinsley-Kent, head of policy and communications at the Migrants’ Rights Network told The Independent: “In line with previous governments, the new government has made it crystal clear that it is content to continue the trend of criminalising migration.

“They fail to understand that people are forced into making dangerous crossings because safe routes do not exist.

“Punishing migrants without permission to work or reside fails to address the fundamental failures within the immigration system that continuously pushes migrants into exploitative conditions because they can become undocumented so easily.”

Ms Tinsley-Kent said enforcement operations such as raids are “a terrifying apparatus of the hostile environment” faced by migrants, warning that “increasing surveillance and policing of migrant and racialised communities will only drive fear and increase suffering.”

She said: “At the Migrants’ Rights Network, we’ve been campaigning for greater transparency around opaque immigration raids, surveillance and deportation policies.

“We call on the government to abandon authoritarian measures which intimidate racialised and migrant communities.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:“It’s deeply disappointing to see so little change of attitude or understanding by the new Government.Racing to remove larger numbers of people from the country is not going to reduce human exploitation and does nothing to dismantle organised crime.

“The dangers in this include that people with good claims to stay or who ought to be key witnesses in the investigation or prosecution of those who have exploited them are among those being hastily expelled.

“That ministers have barely had time to repair the damage done to the immigration system by the previous Government increases the concern that many people’s removal may be unsafe and unwise.

“Meanwhile, creating an atmosphere in which more people feel threatened by authorities that seem to care little for what their true circumstances and rights may be, can only benefit those who will unscrupulously exploit the fear and marginalisation the Government is creating.”

On Sunday, the Home Office said almost 13,460 people had been removed since the country went to the polls on July 4, which is the highest rate of returns since 2019.

The announcement comes amid a continued rise in Channel crossings, with more than 21,000 migrants having arrived in Britain by small boat alone since July.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper, who visited Rome on Saturday for talks with her Italian counterpart on people-smuggling, insisted the Labour administration had intensified border security measures since coming to office.

She pledged a crackdown on exploitative illegal working to address “the promise of illegal jobs that are used by criminal smuggling gangs to sell spaces in small boats”.

New technology including body-worn cameras and fingerprint kits will be rolled out next year to more than 1,200 immigration enforcement officers in a bid to strengthen evidence that can be collected in raids, the government said.

It has also announced it has launched a new “upstream communications campaign” aimed at debunking lies about job prospects in the UK told by people-smuggling gangs to encourage small boat crossings.

The strategy will include warnings to potential migrants about the exploitative practices of employers and the inhumane living conditions faced by workers, based on real testimonies, the department said.

Ms Cooper described illegal working as a “blight on our economy”, saying: “It is deeply exploitative and undercuts those employers who do the right thing and play by the rules.”

She added: “Since the election, we have intensified our efforts to crackdown on exploitation and illegal working – the number of operations and arrests are up, and we are on track to meet our target of increasing removals to the highest level for five years.

“I am boosting the capabilities of our immigration enforcement officers to make sure they have the tools they need to further crack down on illegal working and shine a light on the hidden economy and false promises that criminal smuggling gangs are using to encourage people to cross the Channel in small boats.

“If you employ people illegally, you will face consequences. The rules must be respected and enforced.”

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.