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The Home Office has crafted immigration policies on “anecdotes, assumptions and prejudice” rather than on evidence, an influential parliamentary committee concluded.
The public accounts committee said the Priti Patel department was unaware of the damage caused by policy failures on “legitimate and illegal immigrant populations.”
In a highly critical report released on Friday, the committee said in summary that Home Office officials “had no idea” of what their £ 400 million annual spending on immigration enforcement achieves.
“We are concerned that if the department does not make decisions based on evidence, it runs the risk of making them based on anecdotes, assumptions and prejudices,” the interparty committee concluded.
Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, said: “The Home Office has very little understanding of the impact of its activities on immigration management. She shows no inclination to learn from her many mistakes in a wide range of immigration activities, even when she fully accepts that she has made serious mistakes.
“He accepts the debris that his ignorance and the culture he has fostered caused in the Windrush scandal, but the evidence we saw shows little intention of change and does not inspire confidence that the next scandal of this type is not around the corner. corner”.
The committee was examining the role and function of the Immigration Control Service. This is the direction within the department responsible for preventing abuse of the immigration system, in light of a critical report from the National Audit Office, which was released in June.
Lawmakers questioned officials about the department’s “compliant environment” policy, which limits access to work, housing, benefits and other government-funded services.
The report said that despite “years of public and political debate and concern”, the department still did not know the size of the illegal population in the UK.
The committee reiterated criticism from the NAO, saying the department had not estimated the illegal population in the UK since 2005 and had “no response” to concerns that “potentially exaggerated figures calculated by others could inflame hostility towards immigrants. “.
Part of the report examined the legacy of the Windrush scandal and concluded that the internal culture that created the hostile environment still remains.
The Interior Ministry does not know whether hostile environmental policies deterred illegal migration, while a lack of evidence and a significant lack of diversity at the top levels has created blind spots in the organization, according to the report.
“Only one member of its executive committee came from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background. The department described the benefits of greater diversity at the top levels for its decision-making, leadership and governance, but recognized that diversity is its biggest issue, ”the report says.
Moving on to the UK’s exit from the EU, the report warned that officials “were not prepared for the challenges.” He added that the department had been unable to provide evidence, when asked in July, that it had initiated discussions with its EU counterparts on international operations, including regarding the “return of foreign criminals and illegal migrants.”
The committee said it was not convinced that the department was sufficiently prepared to adequately safeguard the existing legal immigrant population in the UK, while also implementing a new immigration system and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The committee gave the Interior Ministry six months to come up with a detailed plan to ensure its decision-making is based on data and evidence so that it can analyze its work, particularly in regards to tackling illegal migration.
Minnie Rahman, director of campaigns and public affairs for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said the report presented “a very accurate picture of a disoriented, careless and ruthless Home Office. It is just the latest in a series of reports criticizing the Interior Ministry’s culture and labor practices. “
The charity echoed the committee’s calls for change, adding: “Immigration policy and practice must be based on strong evidence, proper staff training, and a new culture of respect and caring for people.”
Reacting to the report, a source from the Interior Ministry said: “The Interior Secretary agrees with the assessment made by the Public Accounts Committee of the Interior Ministry’s historical problems. She has spoken at length about how the department puts process before people, and that is why she has committed to implementing the findings of the Wendy Williams review at Windrush. “
