Leaked documents reveal UK police reported sexually abused children to immigration enforcement

London: Leaked documents from UK home office revealed that police reported over 2000 victims of serious crimes such as domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation, adult sexual exploitation, human trafficking and modern slavery to immigration enforcement.

This has created a debate over whether it is morally right on police’s part to check a victim’s immigration status since it is putting victims in danger forcing them to either stay with abusers, opt for destitution or face being deported.

According to the alleged Home Office document between 2020 and 2022, UK officers reported 2,546 victims of crimes like domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation, adult sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and modern slavery to immigration enforcement.

Another Home Office document marked as “official, sensitive” reveals that a quarter of domestic abuse victims referred by police to immigration enforcement were “served with enforcement documents”.

According to organisations that support women and the weak, the policy discourages crime victims from requesting assistance and empowers attackers.

By reporting victims of serious crimes to immigration enforcement, a senior Conservative MP claimed that police were making them “victims twice over,” and the domestic abuse commissioner claimed that the practise ran the risk of placing them in further danger.

According to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, “significant harm is being caused to the public interest” when domestic violence victims are reported to immigration without concrete proof of an immigration offence.

The Home Office and police chiefs couldn’t concur.

Data acquired by the news website the Detail under freedom of information laws reveals that, between 2020 and 2022, the Home Office’s immigration enforcement section received reports of at least 423 domestic abuse victims, who are thought to be predominately female.

The unit received reports of 2,546 victims of serious crimes, including at least 67 victims of child sexual abuse, 11 victims of domestic servitude, 20 victims of forced marriage, 601 victims of human trafficking, 749 victims of modern-day slavery, and 51 victims of sexual exploitation.

The largest police agency in the UK, the Metropolitan police, referred 460 of all crime victims to immigration enforcement. Police Scotland, the second-largest police force in the UK, issued 207 referrals.

West Midlands police, the third-largest force, referred 222 cases; West Yorkshire, the fifth-largest force, referred 143 cases; and Greater Manchester police, the fourth-largest force, referred 132 cases.

A woman who fled female genital mutilation in Nigeria and arrived in the UK to reside with a relative was later held captive in the home, according to the west London-based Southall Black Sisters.

She overstayed her visa and was unable to leave the abusive situation because she was afraid to contact the police as she was in fear of being deported. She eventually received aid.

Another lady, who was in the UK on a spousal visa, was threatened with deportation and child separation if she reported her husband’s abuse to the police. She has not yet.

According to a second Home Office document, 25% of domestic abuse victims who were referred to immigration by the police received enforcement papers, which means that by reporting the offence, they were put on deportation watch lists.

The official/sensitive document that the Guardian obtained spans the period from April to December 2020. The document states that 32 domestic abuse victims out of 128 “referrals of domestic abuse victims” received enforcement documents; however, none were detained.

“It is highly concerning to see these statistics that indicate that every police force has shared details from migrant survivors of domestic abuse with immigration officials,” said Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales.

“This places victims in danger, forcing them to choose between staying with abusers, choosing poverty, or risking deportation.”

Senior police sources claimed that the government, which is attempting to crack down on immigration, sensed pressure on the police.

Jim Pearce, a deputy chief constable who oversees immigration crime for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, stated: “Police should never check a database solely to determine a victim’s immigration status.

“It is proper for an officer to bring up the possibility that a crime victim is an illegal immigrant to immigration enforcement officers and not to conduct any immigration enforcement action themselves. They should be handled as a victim of crime by the authorities at all times.

The policy is part of “the government’s racist hostile environment,” according to Lara ten Caten of Liberty, which along with Southall Black Sisters has officially challenged it. She also stated that in 2020, the police inspectorate found “no evidence that sharing of personal victim data between the police and the Home Office supports safeguarding of victims of domestic abuse”.

“The police disregarded the inspectorate’s advice and continued to provide the Home Office with information on victims of domestic abuse, placing those people at risk of deportation if they come forward.”

Bob Neill, a Conservative lawmaker, lamented the government’s refusal to adopt the recommendation for a firewall in such cases made by the justice select committee he chairs.

In the absence of such action, “there is a real risk that this will become commonplace and well known, and victims of crime will not disclose offences,” he warned.

“Immigration status should not be disclosed to someone who has been a subject of violence, domestic abuse, human trafficking, or any other form of abuse of that nature. They become captives twice over as a result. It’s possible that the immigration violation pales in comparison to the offence.

“We are dedicated to supporting all victims of domestic abuse, regardless of their immigration status,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

“Following a review of the data-sharing agreements between law enforcement and immigration enforcement, it was determined that a firewall is not an appropriate solution, as stopping information-sharing can impact law enforcement agencies’ capacity to assist victims,” the report reads.

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