Letter: The authorities have no idea of how many illegal migrants remain in Northern Ireland

Albeit a wasteful exercise in time and costs, Northern Ireland cannot be excluded from the Rwanda scheme.

The growing concerns of ‘illegal migrants’ extends to Northern Ireland with worrying numbers arriving under cloak and dagger means.

Northern Ireland could become a human traffickers’ money-making paradise using the back door entry across the border from the Republic of Ireland into the UK.

The News Letter also reported on December 1 that Belfast taking in more asylum seekers than other UK areas (‘Belfast taking in more asylum seekers per head of population than almost any other UK council area, Home Office immigration data shows’).

Government bodies do not have a clue about the numbers involved. The authorities have no idea of how many illegal migrants remain in NI or are trafficked into mainland Great Britain.

The numbers of adults and children could run into thousands!

Any policing activity along the border is more interested in goods and animal smuggling than smuggling people.

Dublin, Brussels, London and pro-protocol local parties are more focused on enforcing the Windsor Framework than addressing illegal people trafficking.

Four months ago in response to my Freedom of Information (FOI) request the Home Office advised that in 2021-2022 there were 545 ‘legal migrants’ crossing from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) into Northern Ireland.

On the issue of how many ‘illegal migrants ‘ crossed the border, the pathetic response was “that as there are no UK border patrols there are no records of the numbers of illegal migrants crossing the border from the ROI into NI”.

Being beseeched by growing public resentment toward migrants overspilling into ugly scenes of street violence, the Irish are keen to push the illegal migrants across the border and turn a blind eye to the criminal activity involved.

The hush up here of gangs operating with impunity and enjoying the non existent risk of being caught and able to make lots of money has to stop.

As things stand the government need to be exposed for doing nothing to end the inhumane trade of people trafficking!

Unless the public and the local politicians demand answers to the full extent of this developing scandal and put a stop to it we will all face the consequences of failing not only our society but those who are being preyed upon.

David McNarry, Ex Ulster Unionist and ex Ukip MLA, Comber, Co Down