The number of EU citizens detained for suspected immigration offences has risen by 27% in the past year alone, Home Office figures have revealed. The figure is on course to rise again this year, with the number of EU citizens detained up 16% in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter last year. The figures also reveal that the number of EU citizens detained has increased more than sixfold since 2009, before the coalition government came to power, when just 768 EU citizens were detained for immigration offences compared with 4,699 last year. Clarke said the sharp increase in detentions of EU citizens was hard to explain. “It’s a very murky situation with EU citizens.

Source: The Guardian August 23, 2017 15:11 UTC