Rough Sleepers In Liverpool Face Being Sent Back To Their Countries Of Origin

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Several rough sleepers were arrested in Liverpool and could be deported for “abusing free movement rights”.

According to Home Office rules, European Union citizens and their family members have the right to enter and live in other Member States. Where admission is permitted, an EU citizen is allowed to remain in the UK for up to three months from the date of entry, provided they do not become “a burden on the social assistance system of the UK or abuse their rights”.

However, a 50-year-old Latvian man and a 37-year-old Polish man are currently in a detention centre awaiting removal, while three other men were also detained but have since been released. The released men, originating from Lithuania and Poland, have been ordered to regularly report to Immigration Enforcement. The authorities may decide at a later date that they too will be deported. Those deported will also be refused entry to the UK for the next 12 months.

Mayor Joe Anderson the Liverpool Echo that the deportation operation highlighted how complex the situation was. He said: “People come into our city from far and wide with very complex needs and our focus has to be on those who really need our help.

“This is why we are rated so highly by Public Health England for our services, but we also need to be remain focussed on those with genuine needs that we will accept our help. We have a variety of services at different levels to suit all the different needs people have and anyone in need should speak to the Whitechapel as they do their rounds on the streets.”

A spokesman for the Home Office said they consider rough sleeping “an abuse of free movement rights”. They said: “Those EU citizens wishing to stay beyond three months can only do so where they are exercising a treaty right.

“Exercising a treaty right in this context means they must be working, self-employed, self-sufficient or a student. We consider rough sleeping an abuse of free movement rights even where it takes place in the first three months of an EU national’s residence in the UK. We will take action against foreign nationals who refuse to find alternative accommodation, including removal from the UK.”

“The response of enforcement officers is taken on a case-by-case basis when they encounter rough sleepers and will be proportionate to their personal circumstances,” the spokesman concluded.