What to know about the UK’s Trump-style anti-immigration drive

The enactment comes arsenic the Starmer authorities faces intense scrutiny implicit its efforts to unafraid the UK’s borders from amerciable immigrants. The authorities has said that it was cracking down connected amerciable workers, who get successful tiny boats to the UK lured by mendacious promises of employment.

Many person drawn parallels betwixt the UK’s actions to those of United States President Donald Trump, who besides ramped up anti-immigration raids crossed the country. Similar to footage released by the migration enforcement agencies successful the US, the UK authorities has for the archetypal clip released footage of immigrants being taken connected deportation flights. One of them had his hands chained to his waist, reminiscent of the Trump administration’s handcuffed deportees. However, critics person slammed the Starmer authorities for indulging successful “performative tactics” and “playing into the antagonistic narrative” astir immigrants.

The nationalist indispensable person assurance successful the UK’s migration system.

Through our Plan for Change, we person removed astir 19,000 radical including failed asylum seekers, overseas criminals and migration offenders from the UK since July 2024. pic.twitter.com/QY4tpQDqSP

— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) February 10, 2025

Anti-immigration raids, deportation flights ramped up

In a 73 per cent summation from January past year, the enforcement agencies arrested 609 amerciable workers successful January this year. The arrests were made astatine nail bars, vape shops, warehouses, car washes, and restaurants, including an Indian edifice successful Humberside.

Moreover, the Starmer authorities has returned astir 19,000 “failed asylum seekers, overseas criminals and different migration offenders” to their countries successful Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

The authorities has said that enforcement returns are up 24 per cent and removals of overseas nationalist offenders are up 21 per cent ever since it came to power.

“These figures correspond the highest complaint of returns seen successful the UK since 2018 and see the 4 biggest returns charter flights successful the UK’s history, with a full of much than 850 radical connected board,” a connection by the authorities read.

Indians were the second-highest colonisation to beryllium deported

Data shows that Indians made up the second-highest colonisation among asylum and non-asylum seekers among enforcement returns by the UK successful the twelvemonth ending September 2024. Enforcement instrumentality refers to the deportation of an amerciable migrant by the government.

As galore arsenic 118 Indians seeking asylum successful the UK were deported successful the twelvemonth ending September 2024, 2nd lone to Albanians, arsenic per information provided by the Home Office. This would see information earlier the Starmer government’s enactment successful July 2024. Among non-asylum seekers, 203 Indians were deported, 2nd to Romanians.

Overall, with 321 deportations, Indians were the sixth-ranking nationality among enforcement returns. This marked an 81 per cent summation successful the fig of Indians deported past twelvemonth (till September 2023).

A whopping 5,594 non-asylum-seeking Indians chose voluntary instrumentality successful the aforesaid clip frame. As galore arsenic 504 asylum-seeking Indians besides chose voluntary return. Indians made up the largest colonisation to opt for voluntary returns.