Key facts
- Convicted people smuggler Twana Jamal is reportedly living in the UK and seeking asylum.
Conservatives are calling for the arrest and deportation of a convicted people smuggler, Twana Jamal, reportedly living in the UK and seeking asylum. Jamal, once dubbed 'the godfather' of French migrant camps, allegedly earned up to £100,000 weekly smuggling people across the Channel.
The case highlights concerns about border security, the effectiveness of the UK's asylum system, and the challenges in deporting foreign criminals, particularly in the post-Brexit era.
A convicted people smuggler, once known as "the godfather" of French migrant camps, is reportedly living in the UK and seeking asylum, prompting calls from the Conservative party for his arrest and deportation. Twana Jamal, who allegedly earned up to £100,000 a week moving people across the Channel, was tracked by the BBC to Leicestershire, where he was reportedly working illegally.
Jamal received a five-year jail sentence in France in 2019. His case has drawn parallels to that of a grooming gang leader in Rochdale who could not be deported due to a legal loophole, raising questions about the UK's ability to deport foreign criminals. Conservative politicians have criticized the current system, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp stating that the man should be arrested for illegal working and his asylum claims rendered void.
The Home Office has stated that all asylum claimants undergo mandatory security checks and that agreements are in place for sharing criminal record information with some countries. However, the BBC reported that immigration officers find it more difficult to check criminal records from some EU countries since the UK left the EU. The Home Office also noted that the BBC had not provided sufficient evidence to substantiate their report.
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