Illegal Migrants to Be Electronically Tagged

After losing track of tens of thousands of alleged asylum seekers who absconded from migration centres, the Home Office has begun a trial programme of tagging those who enter the country illegally.

It has been reported that the scheme will apply to those who enter the country via “dangerous or unnecessary” routes, such as in the back of a lorry or on a flimsy rubber dinghy from France.

The 12-month trial programme, which began on Thursday in England in Wales, is intended to measure whether it has a noticeable impact on migrants checking in with their asylum handlers and to see if it reduces the number of migrants who abscond from their immigration bail.

People who have been tagged may be subject to a curfew, and those who fail to comply with their conditions could be taken to detention, or prosecuted.

The electronic tagging system will not include women who are pregnant or migrants believed to be under the age of 18 and caseworkers will have some discretion on making a determination if it would have a negative impact on the mental health of some illegals.