More than 50,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals go missing in Britain after absconding, internal Home Office figures reveal

Published: 17:04, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 17:04, 25 June 2026 More than 50,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals have gone missing in the UK after absconding, it emerged today. Internal Home Office figures reveal that the migrants – including 1,200 foreign national offenders – were recorded as absconders on Government systems. The data from December 2024, obtained by the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, show there were more ‘missing’ illegal migrants than asylum seekers currently awaiting an initial decision by the Home Office. The tally includes people refused asylum who have then absconded to avoid being sent back to their home countries, as well as foreign criminals who have evaded deportation and Channel migrants seeking asylum who have disappeared after being placed on immigration bail, the Telegraph reported. Migrants in the immigration system are required to maintain regular contact with the Home Office through bail reporting conditions. If they don’t, they can be classed as absconders which can spark enforcement action such as arrest and detention. Labour blamed the Conservatives’ ‘chaotic’ management of the asylum system for the missing migrants. ‘Management of contact with those with no right to be in the UK was chaotic and data was unreliable,’ a Home Office source said. ‘Under the previous government, removals failed to keep pace with arrivals and the Conservatives stopped asylum decision-making as they pursued their failed Rwanda plan. As a result, the asylum backlog ballooned to 175,000.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.