02 Feb 2007

Liberty today expressed concern about Government plans to deport foreign nationals without proper safeguards and to introduce biometric identity cards for all non-European Economic Area nationals. These measures are found in the UK Borders Bill which will have its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday 5 February.

Foreign nationals imprisoned for more than one year or for other specific offences would face automatic deportation, which Liberty fears would unfairly sweep up non-violent offenders. 
 
Further, registering the biometric data of all non-EEA nationals will not tackle illegal workers and exploitation. Instead, it will impose internal immigration controls which could lead to ethnic minorities being unfairly targeted. 
 
Liberty’s Policy Director Gareth Crossman said: 
 
“Automatic deportation is unfair and a knee-jerk response to last year’s Home Office disaster.”  
 
“Mandatory ID cards for foreign nationals have been disastrous for race relations in other European countries when ethnic minorities are repeatedly targeted in the name of internal immigration controls.”  
 
Liberty welcomed new powers in the Bill to bring human traffickers to justice more easily.  
 
Contact: Jen Corlew on 0207 378 3656 or 0797 3 831 128 
  
Notes to Editors
 
1. A copy of Liberty’s UK Borders Bill Briefing February 2007 is available to download from the Policy area of Liberty's website. 
 
2) Plans to automatically deport foreign nationals who have been imprisoned for more than one year or for specific offences will sweep up non-violent offenders. Liberty welcomes the Government’s promise to consider the European Convention on Human Rights and the Refugee Convention but fears that these exceptions are too limited. 
 
3) The biometric registration of non-EEA nationals and issuing of biometric identity cards are extremely broad in scope. It will not impact upon unscrupulous employers exploiting illegal workers but will undermine the privacy rights of all non-EAA nationals. As stated in “Identity Cards: the Next Step” in November 2003, mandatory biometric documents for foreign nationals staying in the UK longer than 3 months is the first step towards general ID cards compulsion.  
 
 4) The Bill provides increased detention and search powers for immigration officers, which Liberty believes is part of the Government’s general movement toward extending police powers to non-police agencies. The scheme offers no proper accountability or complaints mechanism. 
 
5) Extra conditions imposed on those given limited leave to remain may be disproportionate, while new powers to enter the homes of arrested foreigners to seize passports could be racially divisive.