Complaints over immigration texts

18 October 2013 Last updated at 04:06 ET

Home Office texts wrongly accusing people of being illegal immigrants have prompted more than 140 complaints.

Among those contacted was a veteran civil rights campaigner who has lived in Britain since 1966.

Officials have sent messages to almost 40,000 people they suspect of not having a right to be in the UK.

Labour's David Hanson said the move showed how "shambolic and incompetent" the border police had become under the current government.

Meanwhile, immigration minister Mark Harper has said that vans telling illegal immigrants in London to "go home or face arrest" could be deployed across the UK.

He told BBC One's Question Time that the government was assessing the results of the scheme, which was piloted in the capital earlier this year.

'Shocked and horrified'

His department defended texting people urging them to contact border officials to discuss their immigration status.

"We believe it is right to enforce the rules," the Home Office said.

"We are taking proactive steps to contact individuals who records show have no valid right to be in the UK."

It said only 14 people had been contacted in error.

But two of them - campaigner Suresh Grover and immigration lawyer Bobby Chan - reacted angrily to the messages.

Continue reading the main story

Our records show you may not have leave to remain in the UK"

End Quote Home Office text

"I came here with my parents in 1966, I was born in East Africa and have a British passport," Mr Grover told the Independent newspaper - adding he was "shocked" and "horrified" to be contacted.

Mr Chan said the texts "stereotype immigrants as a criminal community and create an atmosphere of fear."

Ministers awarded outsourcing company Capita the contract to trace people believed to have outstayed their visas.

The message read: "Our records show you may not have leave to remain in the UK. Please contact us to discuss your case."

'Go home' vans

The complaints come after the government was criticised for using vans with a picture of handcuffs telling immigrants to "go home" if they were not entitled to be in the UK.

During July, they were driven around the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Barnet, Brent, Ealing and Hounslow for a week.

Labour accused ministers of "borrowing the language" used by the National Front in the 1970s.

But Mr Harper told Question Time he did not "have any problem" with the overall message and if they had proved successful could be used in other parts of the country.

Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable said the campaign had been "stupid and offensive".

And his party colleague, Home Office minister Jeremy Browne, who has since lost his job, said the Lib Dems would not "be agreeing any proposals to bring them back".

Earlier this month, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the posters, saying they had misled the public about the arrest statistics displayed.

However, it cleared the campaign of being offensive and irresponsible.

'Offensive and inappropriate'

Mr Harper said: "I don't have any problem with saying to people who are here illegally that they shouldn't be here anymore."

He added: "It's a pilot. We are assessing the results at the moment."

Mr Harper also said: "We are going to publish the results when we have done the evaluation. If it's successful, we will roll it out. If it's not, we won't."

But Labour's shadow immigration minister Mr Hanson said: "Theresa May's immigration system lurches from one gimmick to another with little effect.

"The reports that the government has allowed a private contractor to send British citizens text message telling them to leave the country demonstrates once more just how shambolic and incompetent the Home Office's border police is under Theresa May.

"These messages will rightly cause distress and offence to British citizens, many of whom have done much to contribute to our society. It is simply wrong for this sort of message to be sent by text, and to be so poorly targeted.

"Yet again, like the offensive and inappropriate ad vans, the government will be using taxpayer's hard-earned money to offend and alienate its own citizens."

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