More than 53,000 illegal migrants are missing

Leaked Home Office document suggests the whereabouts of tens of thousands are unknown A further 736 foreign offenders who have also absconded are also missing, according to data Daily Telegraph 26/11/25 link More than 53,000 illegal migrants have absconded and are missing, according to internal Home Office figures.

A leaked document headed “absconder pool” suggests that, as of October, there are 53,298 migrants who have breached their immigration bail or escaped from detention whose whereabouts are unknown. A further 736 foreign offenders have also absconded and gone missing after being released from prison or from detention, according to the data. Most are believed to be facing deportation. The figures have been obtained from a “whistleblower” by Rupert Lowe MP, who was formerly a member of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. The Home Office has refused to confirm whether the figures are accurate, saying it does not comment on speculation. However, the numbers correspond to similar data previously revealed by the chief inspector of borders and immigration in a 2016 report, when there were almost 60,000 absconders. Mr Lowe, the independent MP for Great Yarmouth, said: “I am calling on the Home Secretary to urgently detail what steps are being taken to apprehend and then deport these criminals. This is a national security emergency, and must be treated as such.” Tony Smith, former director-general of Border Force, said it was “quite easy” for a migrant on immigration bail who was close to being deported to disappear. He said: “We haven’t really got to grips with identifying and catching people who are working cash-in-hand here. I know we have right-to-work checks and right-to-rent checks but it is quite easy to lose yourself in the black economy in this country. “You are only really going to get caught if you happen to be in a raid when immigration enforcement turn up. They will recognise them as an absconder because they will have been fingerprinted, so your biometric data will be in the system. “It also doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to be removed. You might find that they raise a new application to stay in the UK when they are caught.” Mobile phones ‘should be tracked’ Mr Smith suggested that the Home Office should make better use of technology to track and identify missing migrants via their mobile phones, for example, despite sensitivities over human rights. “There is technology we should be exploring to see if there is more we can do in the black economy to identify the people they are employing.” Under Operation Sterling, the Government has invested £5m in Immigration Enforcement to target, arrest, detain, deport and return illegal workers in takeaways, fast food delivery services, beauty salons and car washes. More than 8,000 illegal migrants were arrested in 11,000 raids by Immigration Enforcement from October 2024 to September 2025. That represented a 63 per cent increase in arrests year-on-year. A Home Office spokesman said: “Under this Government, returns of people with no right to remain in the UK have surged, with almost 50,000 people removed – up 23 per cent. “Last week, the Home Secretary announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times. These will make Britain a less attractive destination for illegal migrants and will make it easier to remove and deport them.” Home Office guidance defines an absconder as someone who has escaped from immigration enforcement detention or breached the conditions of their bail. Their whereabouts are unknown and all mandatory procedures to re-establish contact such as email and phone contact have failed. The Home Office has a dedicated tracing capability team who work with the police, other government agencies and commercial companies to trace absconders. Where they obtain contact or location details, they can deploy an enforcement team.