United Kingdom will publish the nationalities of foreign offenders for the first time

The British Home Office announced that it will publish, for the first time, the nationalities of foreign criminals in the United Kingdom before the end of the year. The measure, ordered by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, aims to provide greater transparency about crimes committed by non-British nationals and responds to growing political pressure from the Conservative opposition.

According to reports, at the close of last year, more than 19,000 foreign criminals were still on British soil awaiting deportation, up from nearly 18,000 when the Conservative Party left power.

According to preliminary data, the three most frequent nationalities among foreign offenders in the U.K. are Albanian, Romanian and Polish.

A response to political and social pressure

Conservatives have interpreted the Labour Executive's decision as a forced turnaround in the face of public and media pressure. "We will finally see the hard reality that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country," Robert Jenrick, shadow justice secretary for the Conservative Party declared. "Frankly, the public deserved to know this long ago," he added.

Obstacles and delays in deportations

The government has attributed the increase in pending cases to several factors, including overcrowding in prisons, which has forced the early release of some convicts, as well as logistical and legal difficulties. It has also pointed out that, in some instances, instability in the countries of origin prevents deportations, particularly when there are no minimum guarantees for return. On the other hand, some defendants have filed human rights appeals, which further delay deportation proceedings.

This publication of data is part of an effort to respond to criticism of the country's immigration and prison management, in a context where security and border control have become central to the British political debate.