International
UK plans mass deportation, Nigerians, others on edge
UK plans mass deportation, Nigerians, others on edge
The United Kingdom Labour-led Government has vowed to continue its clampdown on irregular migration saying the rules need to be respected and enforced.
The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in an interview on GBN station and on the Home Office website, said 19,000 irregular migrants inherited from the Conservative government have been deported since Labour took over.
“To rebuild public confidence in the immigration system, we need to show that the rules are respected and enforced. That’s why, as part of the government’s plan for change, we have put significant additional resources into immigration enforcement and returns, so those who have no right to be here, particularly those who have committed crimes in our country, are removed as swiftly as possible,” she said.
The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, in a tweet on his X handle on Monday, said: “Too many people are able to come to the UK and work. We are putting an end to it.”
In the months ahead, the Home Secretary said the government would introduce new counter terror-style powers to identify, disrupt and smash people smuggling gangs, as part of new, robust legislation to protect the UK border security, which has second scaled reading in the House of Commons on Monday.
The government on its website confirmed that “Nearly 19,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders have been returned since the election to countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, following a major escalation in immigration enforcement by the Home Office.”
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According to the Home Office, these figures represent the highest rate of returns seen in the UK since 2018 and include the four biggest returns charter flights in the UK’s history, with a total of more than 850 people on board.
It stated that by redeploying 1,000 staff to work on immigration enforcement and sending a clear signal “that those coming here illegally will be returned swiftly,” it added that between July 5, 2024, and January 31, 2025, enforced returns are up by 24 percent, removals of foreign national offenders up by 21 percent and illegal working raids up by 38 percent compared to the same period 12 months prior.
The Home office on Monday had for the first time shared images of the crackdown on nail bars, car washes and restaurants, leading to arrest of thousands of illegal workers, which it said showed the inner workings of the removal process and “provide further understanding of this important work.”
Throughout January alone, the Home Office said Immigration Enforcement teams descended on 828 premises, including nail bars, convenience stores, restaurants and car washes, marking a 48 percent rise compared to the previous January. Arrests also surged to 609, demonstrating a 73 percent increase from just 352 the previous year.
During the same period, the Home Office said it issued a total of 1,090 civil penalty notices, noting that employers could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker if found liable.
“In many cases, those who come to the UK and end up working illegally are sold false promises about their ability to live and work in the UK, creating a dangerous draw for people to risk their lives by crossing the channel on a small boat,” the Home Office said.
In the months ahead, the Home Secretary said the government would go further than ever by introducing new counter terror-style powers to identify, disrupt and smash people smuggling gangs as part of new, robust legislation to protect UK borders.
She said: “The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will grant law enforcement additional powers to take earlier and more effective action against organised crime gangs, including seizing mobile phones from people who come to the UK illegally before the point of arrest.
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“Next month, the government will go further by hosting a landmark Border Security Summit at the historic Lancaster House in London.
A watershed moment in the UK’s fight against organised immigration crime, the summit will bring together delegates from over 40 countries, as well as guest participants from a range of international institutions, including the European Union.
“The summit will be held on Monday, March 31 and Tuesday, April 1, and will facilitate a range of discussions on the best ways to tackle criminal networks facilitating organised immigration crime and migrant smuggling.”
Some analysts, however, believe that the Labour-led government’s recent action was to show that they could be tough and deliver on the promises made in the wake of the election.
They also noted that the government, no doubt, would soon get criticism from the human rights groups, who may be demanding more transparency on the destination of the deportees.
Recall that last week, Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, said she would push for changes to the government’s immigration bill to double the length of time it takes to qualify for settled status, as part of her party’s latest promise to crack down on immigration.
She has said foreign workers would have to live in the UK for 10 years without claiming any kind of benefit before being allowed indefinite leave to remain under plans announced by the Conservatives on Wednesday.
Under current rules, workers and refugees, who have been in the UK for five years, can apply for indefinite leave to remain, which allows them to stay in the country but does not grant full citizenship.
This indefinite leave to remain allows people to claim benefits for the first time, though they must wait a further year before applying for citizenship.
Some Nigerians who came into the UK legally either for study or skilled work most especially on the health care path have had their share of migration hurdles.
According to some immigration experts, some Nigerian students after graduation ought to apply for postgraduate study, which gives two years for those on first degree and masters and three years for PhD holders.
“But what you see is that, maybe because of the cost, they will wait until the last minute, and by then, the Home Office would write them informing them that they have either 60 or shorter periods left to reside in the country,” the expert said.
On the other hand, some of those who came on sponsored visas often got to the UK without employers providing jobs for them. This has made the Home Office withdraw their employers certificates and those Nigerians have equally found themselves at the mercy of the Home Office with eviction threats.
However, the expert said some were able to scale the hurdles through legal support or by switching to other sponsors.
UK plans mass deportation, Nigerians, others on edge
International
Mother of four killed after mistakenly entering wrong home for cleaning job
Mother of four killed after mistakenly entering wrong home for cleaning job
A tragic case of mistaken identity has left an Indiana family shattered after Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, a 32-year-old mother of four, was fatally shot while attempting to enter the wrong house for a cleaning job in Whitestown, a suburb near Indianapolis.
The incident occurred shortly before 7 a.m. on Wednesday as Pérez and her husband, Mauricio Velázquez, arrived at what they believed was the correct address for a scheduled cleaning. The couple, who ran a small cleaning business, had reportedly double-checked the address and circled the neighborhood before approaching the residence.
According to Velázquez, the tragedy unfolded in seconds.
“She didn’t even put the key in when I heard the shot,” he recounted tearfully. “I saw my wife step back twice, then the keys dropped, and she fell. I tried to console her and tell her everything would be OK, but I could see the blood coming out.”
Police arrived minutes later following a 911 call about a suspected home invasion. Officers found the couple on the porch, but Pérez was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Investigators have since confirmed that the couple had made an innocent mistake and were not attempting to break into the home.
“The facts gathered do not support that a residential entry occurred,” Whitestown Police said in a statement.
However, the case is legally complex due to Indiana’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which permits homeowners to use deadly force if they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent or stop an unlawful entry or attack. Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood noted that under the law, individuals have no duty to retreat when defending their property.
Pérez, who had moved to Indianapolis from Guatemala a year ago, is survived by her husband and four children — the youngest not yet a year old. Velázquez said he is now focused on seeking justice for his wife and returning her body to their hometown in Guatemala.
“For me, she was the love of my life,” Velázquez said. “She was a good wife and a good mother.”
Police say the investigation remains ongoing, and no arrests have yet been made.
Mother of four killed after mistakenly entering wrong home for cleaning job
International
Israel receives hostage remains as Turkey issues warrants for 36 Israeli officials
Israel receives hostage remains as Turkey issues warrants for 36 Israeli officials
Israeli forces in Gaza have recovered the remains of another hostage, officials confirmed on Friday, in a development that signals cautious progress in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
The remains have been transferred to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for examination and identification. If confirmed to belong to one of the hostages, it would mean five bodies remain to be returned under the terms of the truce that began on October 10.
Israel has so far released the bodies of 285 Palestinians as part of the ceasefire deal, though identifying them has proved difficult because DNA testing laboratories are not permitted to operate in Gaza. Officials say some remains recently handed over by Hamas were later found not to belong to any of the missing hostages, raising tensions between the two sides.
Despite occasional disputes over compliance, the latest transfer is viewed as a sign of progress in maintaining the fragile truce. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously acknowledged that the humanitarian and logistical conditions in Gaza complicate the implementation of the ceasefire terms.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned that the volume of aid entering Gaza remains far below what is needed to meet the population’s urgent humanitarian needs.
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Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haqq said more than 200,000 metric tons of aid are positioned for delivery, but only about 37,000 tons have reached Gaza so far.
In Israel, hundreds of mourners gathered on Friday for the military funeral of Captain Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier killed during the October 7 Hamas attacks and whose body was returned on Sunday.
At the ceremony, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, described Neutra as “the son of two nations,” adding:
“He embodied the best of both the United States and Israel. He has firmly cemented his place in history as the hero of two countries.”
Neutra’s mother, Orna Neutra, delivered an emotional tribute, saying:
“We are all left with the vast space between who you were to us and what you were yet to become — and with the mission to fill that gap with the light and goodness that you are.”
In a separate development, Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior Israeli officials, accusing them of committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The warrants, while largely symbolic, reflect Ankara’s escalating criticism of Israel’s military operations in the territory.
Responding to the move, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the warrants as politically motivated.
“Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant Erdogan,” Saar said in a statement.
The diplomatic tensions come as international efforts continue to sustain the ceasefire and facilitate further hostage exchanges amid mounting humanitarian concerns in Gaza.
Israel receives hostage remains as Turkey issues warrants for 36 Israeli officials
skynews
International
US Judge blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland, declares action unlawful
US Judge blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland, declares action unlawful
A U.S. federal judge on Friday ruled that President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, was unlawful and issued a permanent injunction blocking the move — marking a major legal setback for the president’s efforts to use federal troops in American cities.
Trump, a Republican, had earlier ordered National Guard deployments to three Democratic-led cities — Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis — while similar plans for Portland and Chicago became entangled in legal disputes.
He repeatedly described Portland as “war-ravaged” and plagued by violent crime to justify the deployment.
However, District Judge Karin Immergut, herself a Trump appointee, rejected the administration’s argument that anti-immigration protests in Oregon constituted a “rebellion” warranting the mobilization of National Guard troops.
“The President’s unlawful federalization of the National Guard violates the Tenth Amendment, which reserves to the States any powers not expressly delegated to the federal government in the Constitution,” Immergut wrote in her decision.
“With respect to the deployment of any state’s National Guard to Oregon, this permanent injunction order is in full force and effect,” she added.
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The ruling makes permanent an earlier injunction that had temporarily halted the deployment.
Authorities in California, which had opposed the federalization of its National Guard troops for use in Oregon, hailed the court’s decision as a victory for constitutional governance.
“This is a win for the rule of law, for the constitutional values that govern our democracy, and for the American people,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Once again, a court has firmly rejected the President’s militarized vision for America’s future.”
The dispute stems from unrest triggered by a surge in immigration raids across several U.S. cities — part of Trump’s aggressive deportation push, which became a central theme of his 2024 campaign.
Judge Immergut ruled that there was no evidence of widespread violence, significant property damage, or actions by protesters that obstructed federal immigration officers from carrying out their duties, concluding that the situation did not justify invoking emergency powers.
The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling, potentially setting up a high-stakes battle that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
US Judge blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland, declares action unlawful
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