Convicted people smuggler able to live in UK due to Brexit, immigration officers claim

A convicted people smuggler found living in Leicestershire has been able to do so as a result of Brexit, immigration officers have claimed.

Twana Jamal, who was described as one of the most successful people smugglers ever caught when he was given a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016, was found by the BBC living and working in the UK using a false name.

Lucy Morton, of the Immigration Services Union, explained the UK’s decision to leave the EU has meant we no longer have access to a data-sharing agreement with many countries in the bloc, making it more difficult to check criminal and immigration records of asylum seekers.

"If we were able to share databases, even if just with our nearest neighbours, with Germany, with Belgium, with Holland and France, say - then, yes, we'd know that they had a conviction for people smuggling," she said.

Although asylum seekers have their fingerprints taken on arrival in the UK, which are subsequently checked against UK police databases, this would not necessarily show a conviction from another country.

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French prosecutors said Jamal, described by the BBC as Iraqi Kurd, had earned as much as £100,000 a week for moving illegal immigrants across the Channel.

He had reportedly been operating near Dunkirk from 2012 to 2016, where he charged customers between £4,500 and £5,000 to cross the Channel to the UK.

The BBC said it has found more than 20 active smugglers who have reached the UK, some of whom have overseas convictions, raising serious concerns about Britain’s ability effectively screen asylum seekers before they enter the country.

When confronted by the broadcaster, Jamal said he was making “good money” in Leicester, saying he was working “moving cigarettes” from a warehouse.

Asked about claims he had been driving a car without a licence, he reportedly said: “No-one touches us here”, adding: “Even the police won't stop you.”

It comes just days after new polling showed that almost two-thirds of people believe immigration has got worse since Brexit.

The promise to regain control of Britain’s immigration system was central to the Brexit vote and has continued to dominate political discourse ever since.

The polling, conducted by Merlin Strategy for The Independent, also found 55 per cent of people want a return to freedom of movement between the UK and the EU, while just 16 per cent said they oppose it.

The poll showed that 62 per cent of people believe immigration levels have worsened since Brexit, while just 8 per cent think they have improved.

Some 4.8 million legal migrants arrived in the UK between 2021 and 2024, a significant rise on previous years, which was influenced by schemes including refugee programmes for Hongkongers and Ukrainians fleeing strife in their homelands, as well as a demand for workers to fill shortage occupations.

The resulting net migration over the period was more than 2.5 million people when movement out of the UK was accounted for, according to official figures.

The Home Office told the BBC: "All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks."

The Independent has contacted the Home Office for comment.

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