Illegal immigrants to Britain to be denied benefits

BRITAIN: Illegal immigrants face being denied access to work, benefits and services under a strategy announced by British Home Secretary John Reid on Wednesday.

Designed to “block the benefits of Britain” to those in the country illegally, the new measures focus on improving cooperation between government departments, police, local authorities and health care trusts, Reid said.

The policy was branded as unrealistic and inhumane by campaigners, who said it threatened to leave up to half a million people destitute and could force many into crime.

“Most people who come to this country wish to comply fully with our immigration laws, but where they don’t we are committed to blocking the benefits and privileges that should only be enjoyed by those here legitimately,” said Reid.

Immigration is a crucial issue for voters and Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government is fighting an uphill battle to convince the public of its competence in this area after a number of mismanagement crises at the Home Office.

The Home Secretary said that the new enforcement drive was based on “fairness and enforcing the rules” and would allow immigration officials progressively to deny work, benefits and services to those in Britain illegally.

Measures include a watch list of illegal immigrants to alert government agencies if someone applies for services to which they are not entitled and workplace enforcement teams to track down bosses employing people who should not be in the country.

Landlords could be fined up to 20,000 pounds for housing illegal immigrants in overcrowded flats.

Pilot schemes will be set up in three NHS Trusts to use government data to ensure migrants pay for care where required.

Opponents said the measures would not help to encourage or enable illegal migrants to return to their home countries, which many of them left because they are riven by human rights abuses, conflict and poverty.

The Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) called for the better regulation of immigrants who have been in the country for more than two years, arguing that allowing them to work legally would provide more than 3 billion pounds in tax revenue for the Treasury.

London, Wednesday, Reuters