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| UK ministers told to 'get a grip' after accidental deportation letters | UK ministers told to 'get a grip' after accidental deportation letters |
| (1 day later) | |
| Government misinterpreted its own rules when mistakenly ordering European nationals to leave the country, says minister | |
| Kevin Rawlinson | |
| Fri 13 Oct 2017 12.02 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 15.29 GMT | |
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| The British government misinterpreted its own rules when it mistakenly sent more than 100 letters to European nationals ordering them to leave the country within a month or face deportation, a minister has admitted. | The British government misinterpreted its own rules when it mistakenly sent more than 100 letters to European nationals ordering them to leave the country within a month or face deportation, a minister has admitted. |
| The government confirmed it would reimburse those who spent money fighting the wrongful orders and Brandon Lewis, the immigration minister, said he had written to each to apologise. | The government confirmed it would reimburse those who spent money fighting the wrongful orders and Brandon Lewis, the immigration minister, said he had written to each to apologise. |
| Ministers were urged to “get a grip” by the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, whose written question in parliament prompted the government’s admission on Thursday. | Ministers were urged to “get a grip” by the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, whose written question in parliament prompted the government’s admission on Thursday. |
| “Mistakes like this are simply not acceptable and add further worry to the lives of EU nationals already anxious about their status here in the UK,” she said. | “Mistakes like this are simply not acceptable and add further worry to the lives of EU nationals already anxious about their status here in the UK,” she said. |
| “These are people who are our neighbours and friends and family, yet the government is treating them with contempt as second-class citizens. The government is turning lives upside down by callously playing hardball over Brexit and creating a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants. | “These are people who are our neighbours and friends and family, yet the government is treating them with contempt as second-class citizens. The government is turning lives upside down by callously playing hardball over Brexit and creating a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants. |
| “Ministers need to get a grip, and make sure that an error like this never happens again.” | “Ministers need to get a grip, and make sure that an error like this never happens again.” |
| The prime minister, Theresa May, described the episode as an “unfortunate error” when a Finnish academic, Dr Eva Johanna Holmberg, highlighted the issue in late August. | The prime minister, Theresa May, described the episode as an “unfortunate error” when a Finnish academic, Dr Eva Johanna Holmberg, highlighted the issue in late August. |
| Lewis confirmed that, between 11 and 16 August 2017, 106 letters were sent to people from EEA nations: the 28 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. | Lewis confirmed that, between 11 and 16 August 2017, 106 letters were sent to people from EEA nations: the 28 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. |
| “The error made was an incorrect interpretation of the consequences of an EEA national’s unsuccessful application for a registration certificate. We have agreed to meet any reasonable associated costs incurred as a result of this error. We should be able to quantify the total cost in due course,” he wrote. | “The error made was an incorrect interpretation of the consequences of an EEA national’s unsuccessful application for a registration certificate. We have agreed to meet any reasonable associated costs incurred as a result of this error. We should be able to quantify the total cost in due course,” he wrote. |
| The letter sent to Holmberg, who has lived in the UK with her British husband for most of the past decade, told her to leave the country or the Home Office would give “directions for [her] removal”, adding she was “a person liable to be detained under the Immigration Act”. | The letter sent to Holmberg, who has lived in the UK with her British husband for most of the past decade, told her to leave the country or the Home Office would give “directions for [her] removal”, adding she was “a person liable to be detained under the Immigration Act”. |
| After the case came to light, Holmberg, a visiting academic fellow from the University of Helsinki at Queen Mary University of London, told the Guardian: “It seems so surreal and absurd that I should be deported on the grounds that I’m not legal. I’ve been coming and going to this country for as long as I remember. I don’t know what kind of image they have of me but it’s clearly quite sinister based on the small amount of info they actually have on me.” | After the case came to light, Holmberg, a visiting academic fellow from the University of Helsinki at Queen Mary University of London, told the Guardian: “It seems so surreal and absurd that I should be deported on the grounds that I’m not legal. I’ve been coming and going to this country for as long as I remember. I don’t know what kind of image they have of me but it’s clearly quite sinister based on the small amount of info they actually have on me.” |
| Another recipient of one of the letters, Mihaela Duta, spent more than £1,000 on legal fees fighting the order. She said: “There are no words for how I feel. It was the worst week of my life. It took everything I knew and turned it on its head. | Another recipient of one of the letters, Mihaela Duta, spent more than £1,000 on legal fees fighting the order. She said: “There are no words for how I feel. It was the worst week of my life. It took everything I knew and turned it on its head. |
| “We borrowed the money from the bank. We need it back – we’re just normal people.” | “We borrowed the money from the bank. We need it back – we’re just normal people.” |
| On Friday, it emerged that a British-American family was saddled with costs of £45,000 and split by the Atlantic Ocean after the Home Office refused to reverse a visa decision based on a misinterpretation of its own rules. The department has said it is reviewing the case. | On Friday, it emerged that a British-American family was saddled with costs of £45,000 and split by the Atlantic Ocean after the Home Office refused to reverse a visa decision based on a misinterpretation of its own rules. The department has said it is reviewing the case. |
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