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Updated 11 July, 2016

 

 

Stop 'Double Punishment' of Foreign Nationals

Deportation after completing a prison sentence is a secondary or 'Double punishment'.

'Double punishment' has nothing to do with the concept of punishment fitting the crime as the crime has already been punished by the prison sentence.

'Double punishment' offends all rules of natural justice and is not simply unjust it is blatantly racist as it only affects foreign nationals.

Double punishment, can also be used to punish the UK family of a convicted foreign national, even though they had nothing to do with the crime.

There are approximately 12,000 foreign nationals in the UK prison system

It is a fundamental principle of UK law that a person cannot be punished twice for the same offence. If you have committed an offence that society deems a crime and sentenced to a term of imprisonment by a magistrate, judge or judge and jury, once you have completed your sentence, you are released from prison as it is deemed you have repaid your debt to society and that is the end of the matter - and for the great majority of people in the UK, it is: you only get punished once.

However, this does not apply to 'foreign nationals' without status in the UK, or 'foreign nationals' 'with status' I.E. Humanitarian Protection, Discretionary Leave, Indefinite Leave to Remain, Exceptional Leave to Remain, are Naturalized, these grants of status are just a licence and the Home Secretary has powers to revoke the status of anyone convicted and sentenced for a crime and does so at every given opportunity.

If any of the above commit a crime and are sentenced to a prison term of 12 months or more, irrespective of how long they have lived in the UK, no matter that they have very strong family ties, are at very serious risk of automatic deportation under provisions in the Immigration Act 2014 and the UK Borders Act 2007 in addition to any term of imprisonment. They will if deported also face an automatic ten year ban from applying to reenter the UK.

Therefore any 'foreign national' having completed a prison sentence will most certainly be punished a second time by being deported from the UK. Provisions in the <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/22/contents/enacted>Immigration Act 2014 the <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2008/dec/16/uk-borders-act>UK Borders Act 2007, will mean that those cases where the Home Secretary has secured a deportation order the convicted foreign national can be deported before the end of their final release date.

There is no automatic right of appeal against deportation under the acts, but decision to deport can be challenged on Human Rights grounds I.E that separation from family members would be disproportionate, or that they would face torture and/or persecution in the designated country. However new powers in the Immigration Act 2014 will prevent them from using family life arguments to appeal the deportation order.

From 20/10/14 criminals will also no longer be able to appeal against a decision that their deportation is conducive to the public good. This is the most significant change to deportation appeals since 1971. Criminals will be deported and will not be able to appeal beforehand unless they face a real risk of serious irreversible harm. For those that do have an appeal right, they will only be able to appeal once.

However, those persons successfully challenging the deportation under the Immigration Act 2014 and the UK Borders Act 2007 and the Home Secretary then cannot remove them from the UK;

. . . . . they and their 'families may face severe deprivation under provisions of Part Ten of the <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jan/13/criminal-justice-immigration-act>Criminal Justice and Immigration Act (CJIA), which received Royal Assent on 8 May 2008. Under the provisions of the act, any foreign national convicted and sentenced to two years or more for an offence specified as serious (Home Secretary deems petty theft, criminal damage as serious); can be designated as having a 'special immigration status' and so can any member/s of his/her family. 'Special immigration status' will strip the offenders family of their immigration status, and the whole family can be refused the right to work, access to benefits, social housing, can be subject to curfew, electronic monitoring, dispersed from their habitual residence and will receive only the minimum of support, probably vouchers but definitely no cash.

John O for 'No-Deportations' with profound acknowledgement to the late Steve Cohen &
<>'Manifesto of the Campaign against Double Punishment'