LONDON - One million migrants may be living in Britain illegally and there is little chance of deporting them, according to a former head of the UK Border Agency. The figure is more than a third higher than some previous estimates and it will lead to questions over Theresa May’s immigration policy while she was home secretary. While the EU debate focused on controlling numbers of legal migrants from the continent, Rob Whiteman, former chief executive of the UK Border Agency, has said more attention needs to be paid to the large number of illegal workers. ‘The scale of illegal migration and illegal working is not nearly discussed as much as other issues around immigration,’ he told The Times. ‘The government does not have the resources or political levers to deport hundreds of thousands of people.’
His comments suggest that the problem is now too big to tackle, the newspaper reported. Mr Whiteman, who ran the agency from 2011 to 2013, added that on top of non-EU citizens entering illegally, migrants who overstay legitimate visas and find work are also to blame. The Home Office does not know how many migrants are working illegally in the UK, and figures vary.(FA)
