New analysis has suggested small boat migrants are 24 times more likely to go to prison than the average British citizen.
The rate of foreign citizens in jail when compared to the overall migrant population in the UK is 0.18 per cent, slightly higher than the average for Britons at 0.14 per cent.
The analysis by the Tories suggests the rate is much higher for the nationalities who make up the largest small boat arrivals, reports The Times.
The most common countries include Somalians, Afghans, Iraqis, Albanians and Iranians.
A group of migrants get on an inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel
REUTERS
The figure is based on Census data on of the the 10,838 foreign criminals in prisons in England and Wales at the end of March.
This is defined as those living in the UK who, according to the latest census in 2021, hold a foreign passport and do not have a British passport.
Prisoners with dual British nationality are not classified as foreign criminals by the Ministry of Justice.
The total number of people living in the UK with a foreign passport as of the last census in 2021 was 5.9 million, meaning that 0.18 per cent of those in the UK with a non-British passport were in prison.
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A group of migrants walk through the water to reach an inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel
REUTERS
There were 258 Somalians in prison at the end of March, which accounted for 12 per cent of all those in the UK with a Somalian passport.
The figures do not include the more than 100,000 Somalians and other foreign nationals who are in the UK with British citizenship.
For Iraqis it is 2.7 per cent and for Iranians it is 1.6 per cent. For Albanians, this rate is six per cent. These are the most common countries where small boat migrants originate.
According to the research, around 3.4 per cent of small boat migrants could go to prison, a rate that is 24 times higher than the average for British citizens and 18 times more likely than the average migrant in the UK.
It would mean that about 700 migrants who arrived on small boats this year could end up in prison if the rate is applied to the 20,422 people who have crossed the Channel so far this year.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'This data shows the government’s loss of border control is putting the public at risk'
GETTYShadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "This data shows the government’s loss of border control is putting the public at risk.
"Those from the main nationalities arriving are far more likely to commit crime and end up in prison than the general population.
"The illegal immigrants crossing the Channel are unvetted, unknown and uncontrolled.
"And now it is clear they are much more likely to commit serious crime. They are therefore a danger to the public."
The Home Office questioned the analysis saying that younger people were more likely to commit crime and those arriving in small boats tend to be young men in their 20s and 30s.
The data also did not take into account those foreign criminals who commit crimes while visiting on holiday.
A Home Office spokesman told The Times: "The comparison of these two data sets is completely unfounded.
"It is inappropriate to apply foreign imprisonment rates to small boat arrival data as these consist of very different groups of people."
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