Esther McVey has warned government it must re-introduce a third country whereby illegal immigrants with no documentation can be deported to – if it wants to get a grip of the problem.
She said Labour had no plan to tackle the issue and by scrapping the Rwanda scheme, it had lost the very deterrent which would have prevented illegal immigrants coming to the country.
Speaking in Parliament during a statement on restoring control over the immigration system, Ms McVey said: “Without a third country like Rwanda, can the Home Secretary tell the House where illegal immigrants whose country of origin cannot be established because they have destroyed their documentation will be deported to?
“Or is it the case that they can’t be deported and so any who exploits that loophole can stay here with impunity?”
The National Crime Agency also previously said Rwanda was a deterrent to illegal immigration.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We are taking action to deal with people who claim to have lost their papers and ensure we can deliver those returns. We will continue to support other policies including working with the EU, including returns hubs.”
Ms McVey accused the Home Secretary of failing to answer the question, or having an answer to the problem.
