Shocking data shows two-thirds of Albanian migrants in the UK with tags have cut them off
The majority of Albanian Channel migrants who have been tagged in a bid to stop them from skipping immigration bail and going off the radar have either cut off or damaged their tags, official figures show. Out of the 284 Channel migrants tagged since June last year, 204 of them are Albanians.
Figures from the Home Office show that 133 of these 204 had breached their tagging conditions including, in many cases, by removing them.
And 51 of the 64 Albanian criminals who were tagged ahead of their potential deportation also broke their conditions.
Videos on TikTok show just how easy it is to remove an ankle tag, with one clip showing a woman using a pair of scissors to cut off the tag from a man’s leg with the video captioned ‘Freedom’.
In another clip, a man easily manages to cut his off himself and when asked by a commenter “If [I] cut mine off and change my address would that still work or I’m still in trouble,” he replies: “When u cut it off don’t go back home lol.”
Daily Telegraph reports that one of the videos of tag removal on the social media platform was by an Albanian who had been tagged after charged with growing 800 cannabis plants.
And another TikTok video showed a group of men pictured at Tower Bridge with their severed ankle tags.
In 2021 there were 800 Albanian migrants who crossed the Channel but this figure was up to at least 11,500 last year. That is a quarter of the 46,000 who made the crossing in 2022.
These numbers have dropped off in recent weeks and this is thought to be partly due to the increased risks from the wintry weather, and also following a Government crackdown.
Last month ministers struck a deal with Albania to fast-track the return of migrants on the basis that it is a “safe” country seeking EU membership.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that this means the majority of asylum claims by Albanians can be treated as unfounded.
There are currently around 15,000 people across England and Wales who are electronically tagged.
Anyone who removes or tampers with the tag risks being sent to prison.
A probation service spokesperson said: “Those who tamper with tags are reported instantly thanks to sophisticated safety measures and face going back to court or prison if they do.”
But an Albanian source said: “They don’t care if they are tagged. In order to avoid deportation they go underground and remove the tags.”
The figures about Albanians tampering with electronic tags come after Olta Xhacka, Albania’s foreign minister, attacked Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, for “verbally lynching” the Albanian nation with his language about “finding and detaining” Albanians in the UK.
