Most illegal immigrants arriving in the UK by small boats who were detained for removal have claimed they were victims of modern slavery, Home Office figures show.
Such claims would delay the deportation until a decision is made on their modern slavery claims.
According to data released by the Home Office on Thursday, in 2021, among the 404 illegal immigrants detained for return after arriving in the UK on a small boat, 294 (73 percent) were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM)—a system designed to identify potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
During January to September 2022, 1,305 illegal immigrants were detained for return, leading to an even greater number of referrals to the NRM (842 people), albeit a slightly smaller proportion (65 percent)….