The Guardian view on refugees: two months to find a home is not too much to ask | Editorial
GuardianDec 18, 2023
UK Report: Four in Five Detained Immigrants Released, Not Deported
The Facts
According to an annual report from the UK's Independent Monitoring Board, almost 80% of migrants in detention centers last year were released but not deported. The 22% deportation last year was almost half the rate between 2015 and 2019, which was 44% during that time.
The purpose of detention is to prepare individuals for deportation, and the Home Office is only tasked to detain migrants if there is a realistic chance of timely deportation —many, however, are released due to successful legal challenges or health assessments. The cost of immigrant detention is £112.85 (about US$142) per person per night.
The Spin
Left narrative
The Sunak government should be given credit where credit is due regarding its attempt to tackle the backlog of asylum claims. However, as more and more asylum seekers go through the process to officially begin their new lives in Britain, they're quickly pushed out of temporary housing and into the nation's housing crisis with nowhere to go. Sunak's administration needs to allow more time for private charities to find sufficient accommodations for these new arrivals — otherwise, they'll become another demographic data point on the country's homelessness map.
Right narrative
Rishi Sunak's obsession with combatting illegal immigration is not only failing but hiding the parallel issue of overwhelming legal immigration. As Britons struggle to find homes and healthcare for themselves and their children, the government has prioritized the legal immigration of foreigners like foreign students who can afford to pay the full price of university tuition. Tory voters have long demanded a slow-down to both illegal and legal immigration, but Sunak seems to care more about immigration status than the cascading effects of his policies. He needs to better align conservative values on this issue.
Nerd narrative
There is a 12% chance that the Torries led by Rishi Sunak will form the first government after the next UK election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.