UK Home Office Figures Reveal Hundreds of Algerian and Iraqi Criminals Remain at Large Despite Deportation Orders

New figures released by the Home Office indicate that hundreds of foreign offenders, specifically from Iraq and Algeria, are residing in the UK despite facing deportation orders. The data shows that out of 20,000 foreign offenders living within the community, 642 are Iraqi and 596 are Algerian. Deportation rates for these nationalities stand at 3.4 per cent for Iraqis and 4.2 per cent for Algerians, according to information provided to The Times.

Organized criminal groups, predominantly composed of Algerians, have been linked to a series of high-value watch robberies in affluent London areas. Concurrently, Iraqi criminals have been significantly involved in facilitating illegal crossings of the English Channel via small boats.

While deportation numbers have seen a substantial increase, rising from 8,000 in 2020 to 36,000 in 2025 under the Labour government, foreign offenders constitute less than 30 per cent of all individuals removed from the UK. The data also highlights a considerable number of offenders awaiting deportation to Nigeria (773) and Jamaica (775) who are still in the community.

Under recent legal changes, all foreign criminals sentenced to over a year in prison are now subject to deportation. However, the current rates suggest that individuals from EU countries are more likely to be repatriated. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, criticized the government, stating that a small fraction of criminals from countries such as Jamaica, Nigeria, Somalia, Algeria, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and India are actually returned. He attributed this to human rights claims and what he described as the Labour party's reluctance to deport criminals to certain nations, leading to further offenses within the UK.

One notable case involves Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian national who entered the UK on a visitor visa in 2019. Kaddour-Cherif was erroneously released from HMP Wandsworth in late 2025, triggering a manhunt in London. He subsequently faced trials for offenses including burglary, possession of a knife, and assaulting an emergency worker, and is slated for deportation upon completion of his sentence.

A spokesperson for the Home Office stated, “Any foreign national who receives a prison sentence in the UK is referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity and will be barred from ever returning. Returns are at their highest level in nearly a decade. Nearly 12,000 foreign criminals, including murderers and rapists, have been returned or deported in the two years since the last election – a 41 per cent increase on the two years prior.”