Britain seeks to speed up deportations of illegal immigrants

London (Union)

Britain’s Labour government plans to send large numbers of illegal immigrants back to their countries, an official said yesterday, as it tries to reduce the number of refugees.
The Home Office has published a contract to find commercial partners to support the reintegration of people who are not entitled to stay in the UK into their countries of origin.
The three-year, £15 million ($19.7 million) contract was announced last week.
“The ministry is seeking to identify suitable reintegration providers to help migrants return to 11 different countries,” the announcement says. The countries are Albania, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. The contractors will help provide food, trace family members and provide support in accessing the labor market, among other things, according to the tender announcement.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced last week that the government aims to achieve the highest deportation rate for five years for failed asylum seekers over the next six months.
The aim is to deport more than 14,000 people by the end of the year, according to British media reports. A ministry spokesman said in a statement that “the government is planning a significant increase in enforcement and immigration-related returns to remove people who have no right to be in the UK and ensure that the laws are respected and enforced.”