Sam Lister

Read the full interview here: express.co.uk/news/politics/…

Exclusive: One of the biggest investigations I've worked on... More than 1,500 convicted foreign criminals are living in taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation because they have not been deported. Labour is battling a growing removals backlog, with almost 20,000 foreign crooks living across Britain. And an 11-month probe by this newspaper can reveal around 1,509 offenders have been given free homes found for them. Critics said our findings “reveal that the Home Office is paying for illegal migrant criminals to be scattered in communities”. The Home Office insisted that the decision to release a foreign criminal into the community is “never taken lightly”, before adding “suitable accommodation is sourced prior to their release to manage them effectively”. This collaborates evidence given to MPs by asylum accommodation provider Serco, who revealed a “lack of returns agreements with certain countries means their nationals will never be deported”. They added: “These individuals are therefore transferred to asylum accommodation on an indefinite basis.”