35 illegal immigrants let through Aberdeen Airport
03.08.08
35 illegal migrants are free in the UK after immigration officials at Aberdeen Airport granted them emergency admission to the UK on the condition that they return to the airport 24 hours later, and none did the Press & Journal reports.
The newspaper says that 37 arrivals from Bolivia in South America were released in to Scotland on condition they returned to the airport the following day to have immigration papers processed. But only two came back and both were allowed to stay.
An MSP has called for the ‘fullest possible inquiry’ into what happened. But the UK Border Agency downplayed the incident, saying that its officials had checked the names of those involved against their ‘watch-lists’.
The newspaper reports that 42 Bolivian men and women arrived at Aberdeen Airport last week via Amsterdam. Five were refused admission straight away due to problems with their papers, but there was no room to keep the other 37 because almost 40 people were already being held from another flight.
North-east Tory MSP Alex Johnstone called the circumstances ‘astonishing’. He told the newspaper: ‘The situation appears to be a deliberate attempt to flood the facilities at Aberdeen Airport. Somebody must have been a bit naive to release so many people on the condition they come back. We need a proper inquiry so Aberdeen Airport is not seen as a soft touch.’
However, a spokesman for the UK Border Agency said: ‘These individuals were checked against our watch-lists before being allowed to enter the UK. We are reviewing our contingency arrangements at Aberdeen Airport and are working with Grampian Police to further strengthen procedures. We have increased staff at our ports by nearly 35% since 2005.’
Sir Andrew Green, a spokesman for Migrationwatch UK, said the arrival en masse by the visitors was a deliberate ploy. The Border Agency would not confirm whether it was actively seeking the 35 missing people.
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