THE government's ability to fight migrant crime is being undermined by secret plans to cut the number of offices devoted to deporting illegal immigrants and tracking down foreign criminals, a staff union claimed yesterday.
The plans were outlined to staff by the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) last week.
Details were disclosed by the Immigration Service Union.
John Tincey, the union's national vice-chairman, said the moves followed growing pressure on the BIA's overall budget because of Treasury cuts.
"The future of all offices in London and the southeast is under threat. In particular, the five offices in Kent are expected to be reduced, perhaps to one or two. Separate consideration is being given to the closure of the enforcement office at St Ives, which covers Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire," he said.
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"Many of our members have expressed the view that this signals a winding down of immigration enforcement activity in London and the southeast."
Rising levels of immigration are putting heavy pressure on police resources in this region.
Last September Julie Spence, the Cambridgeshire chief constable, said her force was struggling to cope with the growing number of immigrants engaged in criminal behaviour.
Peter Maddison, chief constable of Northamptonshire, which will also be affected by the closure plans, said last month that the influx of immigrant workers to the UK was resulting in an uncontrollable crime explosion.
The Home Office declined to comment on the plans. But Jonathan Lindley, the BIA's strategic director for enforcement, said that it was planning to increase the amount of enforcement.
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