Failed asylum seekers in Britain will finally be evicted from taxpayer-funded housing after the Home Office paused the removal process during the Chinese coronavirus crisis.
The British government will reportedly look to remove thousands of migrants from their accommodations with the hopes of actually deporting the failed asylum seekers from the country.
A letter from a Home Office director, which was seen by The Guardian, said that immigration minister Chris Philp informed local leaders that the government will begin reviewing support given to migrants “with immediate effect”.
“We will be sharing details of the current number of cases for review with local authorities to assist them with planning,” the internal Home Office letter states.
“However, I would like to emphasise that it is not possible at this stage to be definitive about the final volume of cases that will have their support discontinued.”
Failed asylum-seekers will be given twenty-one-day notices to leave their accommodation, but those who agree to leave the UK voluntarily will be permitted to stay in housing until a deportation flight is arranged.
It is understood that initially only failed asylum seekers in England will be affected by the revived eviction process, however, it will soon extend to the entire UK.
“Throughout the pandemic, failed asylum seekers have had accommodation and financial assistance provided at the expense of the taxpayer as they have been unable to travel home. As restrictions ease and it becomes possible once again for failed asylum seekers to return, it is right that we start to withdraw this support,” a spokesman from the Home Office said.
“For those who engage with the voluntary returns scheme, we will continue to provide accommodation and support, and will also do so for those who are temporarily unable to leave the UK because of a practical or legal obstacle.”
The chairman of Migration Watch UK, Alp Mehmet, was unimpressed by the latest Home Office plans, telling Breitbart London: “Failed asylum seekers should be removed to their countries of origin or back to wherever they set off for the UK from, not set loose to roam freely and potentially go to ground.”
“How will those evicted be monitored and how will their removal be pursued?” Mehmet questioned.
There are currently approximately 60,000 asylum seekers being supported by the government, despite the fact that most asylum claims are ultimately rejected. The majority of the migrants are housed in section 95 government housing.
There are also some 8,700 migrants, most of whom illegally entered the country by boat from France, being put up in hotels across the country.
In a letter to the Home Affairs Committee last month, Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed that the hotel scheme for asylum seekers has already cost the government some £258 million.
The revelation of migrants being put up in hotels was brought to light last year by Brexit leader Nigel Farage, who uncovered a hotel housing 147 migrants while refusing to take bookings from Britons.
Mr Farage further embarrassed the government after he disclosed that illegal migrants were being housed in Patel’s own constituency, flying in the face of her repeated vows to crack down on illegal migration.
“She is taking her constituents and all of us for a ride,” Farage said at the time.
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