Deport delays for hundreds of #European criminals being hosted in #UK Brexit MP says figures show the 'system is broken' -TheSun

HUNDREDS of European criminals are awaiting deportation from Britain – despite their custodial sentences ending more than 12 months ago.

The foreign offenders – from the European Economic Area – are costing British taxpayers millions which should be spent on more deserving cases, according to one Tory MP.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who unearthed the figures, found that 80 foreign criminals have been waiting more than two years to be removed from Britain.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan disagrees with the PM over the EU Facebook

Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre in Middlesex UK Alamy

She also found out that 132 foreign national offenders have been waiting between one and two years to be deported.

There are a total of 1,469 individuals who are either detained in Immigration Removal Centres or living in the community.

The figures include those who have been released by an Immigration Judge and those with overseas convictions who may not have received a custodial sentence in the UK.

There are 2,748 individuals from the EEA – made up of EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - still serving custodial sentences.

Trevelyan, who is campaigning for Brexit, said: “We are not in control of our destiny. The system is broken and we’re not achieving what the British people wants us to do.

“Once it’s legal for us to deport them we should return them from where they came.”

She said the individuals would be claiming benefits costing millions annually which could be better spent on “more deserving cases”.

---

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said: “Any foreign national who poses a threat to the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.

“We removed 3,310 European foreign criminals in 2015 - more than triple the number deported in 2010. We also removed more than 2,250 non-EU offenders last year.

“The majority of foreign criminals released into the community to await deportation have been released by an immigration judge.

“Those who are released have stringent bail conditions, which can include tagging, while we continue to work to remove them.”

“The Immigration Bill currently going through Parliament will subject foreign criminals on bail to mandatory GPS tagging.”