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Lib Dems call for amnesty
for illegal immigrants
Ben Russell
London
Independent
Monday Aug 27, 2007
Up to 600,000 illegal immigrants should be given the right to
"earn" full citizenship, the Liberal Democrats said
yesterday. It is the first major party to lean towards advocating
an amnesty for such migrants.
Nick Clegg, the party's home affairs spokesman, said a route
to citizenship was the only way to deal with people who may have
been in Britain - but outside the legal system - for many years.
Under the plans, to be debated by the party's annual conference
next month, people who have lived in Britain for a decade, have
no criminal record and show a long-term commitment to the country
could gain citizenship.
Applicants would have to show a good command of English, pass
a public interest test and pay a fee, which could be waived if
they undertake voluntary work. Mr Clegg said the proposal would
free people from working in the "twilight world of illegality
and exploitation" outside normal employment laws. An amnesty
would work alongside tougher border controls, he added.
(Article continues below)
He said attempting to remove the backlog of failed asylum-seekers
and people who had overstayed their visas was "the politics
of the madhouse".
But the Conservatives attacked the plans, insisting they would
attract illegal immigrants to Britain. David Davis, the shadow
Home Secretary, said: "This is irresponsible because on the
one hand it will encourage people to come here illegally as well
as being unfair to those who have obeyed the law and tried to
enter the UK legally.
"It will act as a green flag to a new future wave of illegal
immigrants who will be told by their criminal handlers that if
they remain in the UK long enough they will be allowed to stay
permanently."
Last week ministers faced claims that the immigration system
was "out of control" after figures showed a fall in
the number of failed asylum-seekers deported this spring. Estimates
suggest that there could be between 310,000 and 570,000 illegal
migrants in Britain.
Last year a report by the Institute of Public Policy Research,
a think-tank close to the Labour Government, said that an amnesty
could be worth up to £6bn to the economy.
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