The telegraph
Deported criminals who sneak back to the UK face up to five years’ imprisonment
Deported foreign criminals sneaking back to the UK are being jailed for up to five years after Priti Patel announced crackdowns this week. The Home Secretary is expected to increase the maximum prison sentence from the current six months to five years for people illegally captured in Britain for a crime after being deported. The move, part of a new law on sovereign borders reforming the “broken” asylum system, will also increase sentences for illegal migrants currently in prison for up to six months and traffickers who face life sentences the current maximum of 14 years. Every foreign traveler is also subjected to criminal scrutiny before boarding a plane to the UK to deter foreign criminals from entering the UK. The change is in line with harsh US measures put in place after the 9/11 terrorist attack to keep people out of the way who pose a threat to the US. According to the plans, all overseas visitors – including those from EU member states – must apply for permission to enter the UK prior to travel. This provides an opportunity to check arrivals before setting out. Travelers will automatically have their details checked against watchlists and criminal databases – and those who have previously committed crimes will have their applications checked to decide whether to let them in. Officials can prevent dangerous people from getting on flights before boarding them. Signaled the changes over the weekend, Ms. Patel said, “Illegal immigration is being facilitated by serious organized criminals who exploit people and benefit from human misery. “This goes against our national interest, as the same criminal gangs and networks are responsible for other illegal activities ranging from drug and arms trafficking to serious violent crimes. “Our new immigration plan will make big changes and build a new system that is fair but firm. We will continue to promote asylum through safe and legal channels, while strengthening our attitudes towards illegal entry and the criminals who endanger life by making it possible. “The crackdown on returning deportees follows an investigation by The Telegraph into how a prolific Albanian burglar, deported twice from Britain for his crimes, sneaked back into Britain as an illegal immigrant. He even posted Instagram pictures of his high life drinking cocktails and driving a Porsche. Doran Puka, 26, was originally detained for nine months in 2016 and deported the following year for attempting to break into property when the owner spotted him on a webcam while on vacation in France. However, within a year he managed to bypass border controls and returned to the UK, where he carried out a series of break-ins in a suburb of London. Puka was eventually caught with an expensive watch he’d stolen when discovered by plainclothes officers patrolling Surbiton, south-west London, after the rise in break-ins. He was detained for three and a half years and then deported in March 2020. While in prison in the UK, he became known for using an illegal cell phone smuggled into the prison to post Instagram pictures of himself with fellow criminals. After returning to his native Albania for a few months, he traveled through Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands before breaking border controls to re-enter the UK in December 2020. Pictures published on Instagram showed him in the London commuter suburb of Richmond, Surrey, wearing a Covid-19 mask and standing next to a Porsche station wagon valued at 70,000 pounds on Christmas Eve. Home Office figures show that the number of foreign criminals living freely in the UK who are eligible for deportation has exceeded 10,000 for the first time. Nearly 3,000 were released from prison more than five years ago but still not deported by the Home Office.
