Deportations of foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers have reached a ten-year-high as Shabana Mahmood aims to “send a message.”
The Home Office figures released on Thursday show that more than 80,000 criminals and immigration offenders have been returned since the general election, the highest level since 2016.
This was a 52% increase compared to the last two years under the Tories.
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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the figures “send a message” to people looking to come to the UK illegally.
She said: “This is a vital step in our effort to restore control to our border and make our migration system fairer for all. These new statistics send a message.
“We will always welcome those who come here legally and seek to build a better life. But if you come here illegally, or you break our laws, we will send you home. I know there is more to be done.
“That is why we are pursuing new legislation that will more swiftly remove those here illegally, and we are doubling funding to our Immigration Enforcement teams by 2028.”
Between July 1, 2024 and July 31, 2026, 80,286 returns were recorded. This figure includes 19,622 enforced returns of people with no legal right to remain in the UK, more than 6,000 of which were people who arrived by small boat.
At the same time, almost 12,000 foreign national offenders were removed from the UK.
The deportation numbers are the latest evidence from Labour that they are taking control of the UK’s borders.
Earlier this year, figures showed that net migration had dropped by 48% in 2025 to 171,000. This was comparable with pre-Covid levels of migration, and outside of the pandemic these are the lowest figures since 2012.
Of course, the more Labour are seen to be getting a grip on immigration the more they take away Nigel Farage and Reform’s main – and arguably only – selling point.