Home Office figures have unveiled a concerning trend of more than a hundred “boomerang refugees” returning to the UK and being granted asylum after having their initial applications rejected. The revelations, based on the latest available data, highlight an alarming increase from 39 cases in 2020 and 50 in 2019, posing questions about the effectiveness of immigration processes.
According to reports by Express News, In some instances, refugees who had previously been denied asylum returned within weeks, while others waited for years before making a second claim. The figures indicate instances of individuals having their initial asylum applications rejected, being returned to their home countries, and subsequently re-entering the UK to make successful second claims.
One specific case narrates the story of a refugee arriving in the UK in April 2020, having their initial application rejected, and being returned to France in August. Shockingly, just two months later, the individual reappeared in the UK, submitted another asylum claim, and was approved ten months later.
The phenomenon is not limited to swift turnarounds, as evidenced by a case where an individual was deported to Namibia in August 2010 after a rejected asylum claim. Eight years later, in 2018, the same person returned to the UK and was granted asylum.
Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, expressed bewilderment at these reversals, stating, “Such reversals of earlier decisions are baffling. All we can assume is that failed applicants and their legal representatives learn the lessons of previous failures and modify their claims accordingly. No wonder we are now seen as a gullible, soft touch. And the poor old, put-upon taxpayer foots the bill.”
These second-time asylum claims span individuals who had been removed from the UK to countries worldwide, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, and Albania.
A Home Office spokesperson defended the process, emphasizing that all asylum applications are evaluated on their individual merits. The spokesperson highlighted the importance of considering changes in personal circumstances or conditions in the asylum seeker’s home country when reviewing subsequent claims.
The revelation of “boomerang refugees” seeking asylum again after initial rejections comes amid home secretary James Cleverly’s denial of government claims that the backlog of older asylum claims has been cleared. New figures indicate an unresolved total asylum backlog of 99,000 cases, with Cleverly acknowledging that 4,500 “complex” cases, some involving security concerns, are still under consideration.
The government asserts that a reduction in asylum claims, from 136,000 to 99,000, is attributed to the accelerated processing of the “legacy” backlog of applications made before June 28, 2022. While progress has been acknowledged, critics argue that the government’s claim of clearing the backlog is misleading, as thousands still await decisions.
The complex landscape of asylum applications and the emerging trend of “boomerang refugees” raise concerns about the efficacy of immigration policies and the need for continued scrutiny and reform in the UK’s asylum system.
