UK to e-tag illegal migrants for tracking their movement

London, June 18

The UK government is to launch a 12-month pilot scheme that will involve some illegal migrants seeking asylum in the country being electronically tagged to keep track of their movements, it emerged on Saturday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended the plans as he said it was essential that people who arrived through dangerous routes on small boats and hidden in lorries could not simply “vanish”.

Documents linked to the UK Home Office proposals suggest that the government wants to obtain data on how frequently asylum seekers abscond. The Home Office electronic tagging trial began on Thursday in England and Wales to test whether it helps maintain regular contact with asylum claimants and progresses their claims more effectively.

It will also collect data on how many people abscond and disappear.