to be surprised that 19,000 deported since July

[Headingtowardsdivorce]

Almost 19,000 foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers have been deported since July as the Government steps up illegal working raids.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/deportation-foreign-criminals-failed-asylum-seekers-uk-home-office-immigration-b1210218.html

I was surprised to read this. Particularly that the home office has videoed it. AIBU to be so surprised? I don't know why, I suppose I just was under the impression that Labour didn't deport people, that deportation was a more right wing thing. But now it seems that Labour have deported more the the Tories, which begs the question, why didn't the Tories do this?

Is 19000 a lot? It seems a lot to me.

19000 is not a lot. It’s a drop in the ocean. We need mass deportations and we need them now.

I think you've completely misunderstood my OP!

Why does it matter that I'm surprised? I don't know, did I say it mattered? I'm just expressing my feelings on having read the linked article.

I'm not suspicious of the number. Just surprised that it was so high (although I can see and accept that many others think it's a low number, it seems high compared to the numbers being deported under the previous government, who I thought would be more 'on it').

I have no expert solutions, as I am, quite obviously!, no expert.

I have no idea what the other parties have set out, as as I've just said, I'm no expert.

Is it right that of that number, only 5000 represents an enforced return and that is an increase of 25% on last year ...so an additional 1500 enforced migrations?

I mean, I don't think that's very impressive. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The only thing I remember them trying (and that's not to say there weren't other things that I can't remember), was Rwanda, which imo was a ridiculous policy that deserved to fail.

I'll have a read of this too later, thanks.

It's a very expensive headline

Labour need it but it'll cost us

If they're not stopping them come back we're just a free ticket back home for them.

At least make it an easyJet ticket.

Some people just don’t like croissants I guess?

On a serious note. I’m surprised the government are actually deporting as every case seems to be completely tied in red tape and legal cases.

One thing is for sure is that they need to sort it out for everyone involved and stop talking about it and do something.

@mumda plus the millions to Libya etc £84m on looking

£400m on flights. Crossings up still, it'll cost a fortune as Labour is panicking about Reform

@Ankhmo - having worked in the camps in France, I can confirm that conditions are absolutely horrendous.

I read atleast 5k of these were people paid to return home and given 3k

Even worse - small boat arrivals were 29k in 2023 (not 36k) and rose to 36k in 2024.

29 Dec 2024
'Well over 20,000 have crossed under Labour, over 20% more than the same time last year.'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgx0vx4n1do

I think op is saying she’s surprised that labour had deported ‘such a high number’ of people, and then realised it was a tiny wee number, relative to the problem. Not even scratching the surface.

The trouble is all the same people who are putting Labour down for not deporting enough migrants also don't want to pay more taxes to pay for the vast numbers of new staff to do the work required. So what do they want Labour to do?.
Reform voters will find Farage facing the exact same problem if they get their wish.

I wonder if these figures include the Home Office's Voluntary Returns Service, where people are paid £3000 to return to their home country. Link (which may be blocked my MN): www.gov.uk/return-home-voluntarily . This system is being abused by people who come here on even a short visa (say, six months), over stay by even one day, then apply for and receive this payment to return home.

What do you mean you don't believe it? If you don't beleive the numbers than why believe the 900k but not the 19k deported

As for being nothing

That 900,000 is almost all legal immigration, the majority being student visas. The government is also reducing thosse numbers. I should know as I work in education and there are may fewer student visas being issued in the last 2 years, but unless you want to throw out people who are here legally (which actially is what you mean I am sure) then it will take a year or two to reduce that down to what it was before BREXIT, which is when the massive rise in non-EU immigrants happened

Illegal immigration (ie boat arrivals) is less than 5% of total immigration - as an any idiot can tell from those numbers. (45 k as a percentage of 945k is about 4.8%) . So we have removed 19k boat arrivals since July. (ie in 2 months) , even if we only remove double that number in a year that will 38k out of 45 who arrived in a year

I ssume when you whitter on about illegal immigration, what you really mean is any immigration? If that is the case then the Govt is reducing that as well, though as I said above unless you actally thing we should throw out people here legally then it will take a while to reduce the numbers arriving since more restrictive visa rules take a while to implement

Most of that was legal immigration.

Why do you play this game of obfuscation?

If anyone is actually interested (though I doubt many are) . This shows the actual numbers in a really clear infographic for the last year. Plus the chart underneath

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2025/summary-of-latest-statistics

The major major numbers making up the yearly 900k influx so regularly mentioned are international students

If you want to talk about immigrants, at least understand the numbers and stop with the ridiculous straw man of 'illegal immigration' which is really not a big part of the numbers. If you want to cut immigration, focussing on illegal immigration (which is absolutley somethign we should do by the way) is like hoping to stop a colander leaking by covering one of the holes

We need to be honest and clear about what we want to do but we can't do that if we obsucure what the problem is

Maybe we need to revoke student visas and throw out a load of international students before they finish their course? Do people agree with that? (I imagine some people will actually agree with that - I don't by the way!)

All numbers need to be taken in context.

The context for the 19,000 reported deportations is that several hundred people land on British shores every day that the English Channel is sufficiently calm that an inflatable boat can cross without capsizing. Of these several hundred, 75% are young men. When they land, strangers, they are placed in accommodation in established communities. We do not know who they are as many have thrown their documents into the sea. This has been happening for several years. There is a processing backlog of c.70,000 migrants, all of whom have been housed and fed at the expense of the British taxpayer.

An influx of migrants on this scale has never happened in the UK. Given all this, 19,000 deportations is not a lot. Getting on top of this issue and reducing the hysteria whipped up by the right is vital if we are to reclaim our reputation as a tolerant country welcoming those fleeing war and persecution, and if legal migrants peaceably earning their living here are to be given the respect they deserve.