Care Homes ‘Employing Illegal Immigrants’

Hundreds of illegal immigrants have found work in British care homes, according to a leaked government report which emerged last night. Officials found that they included a suspected murderer and other criminals.

The report, which was produced two years ago but has only just come to light, revealed that the employment of illegal immigrants to care for the elderly was ‘widespread’ and ‘significant’, following investigations into 110 suspected cases.

It suggested more than half of employees in some care homes were illegal immigrants. Among their number was a Filipino suspected of murder, who was working in Plymouth.

Shadow home secretary David Davis told the Sunday Times: ‘The Home Office is allowing some of the most vulnerable people to be put in the care of people who, by definition, cannot have a criminal records check.’

Immigration minister Liam Byrne said: ‘This report appears to pre-date the huge shake-up of the Border and Immigration Agency over the past year-and-a-half.

‘Every visa applicant is now fingerprinted before they reach here, ID cards become compulsory for all foreign nationals from November, and £10,000 on-the-spot fines are in place for any illegal workers. We spend £200m on enforcement and expel someone every eight minutes.’