There are no official estimates of illegal immigration, though the Immigration Service Union claims that, in addition to legal immigration of around 50,000 per year, a further 100,000 enter illegally. This seems unlikely. In 1995, illegal entry action was initiated against only 10,381 people. And in 1996 only around 10,000 illegal workers were apprehended. In any case, it is extremely doubtful that illegal immigrants represent a net burden to the country - in terms either of employment, or of their use of public services.
Illegal immigrants are an easy political target.
Of rather more concern should be the high level of unemployment among British ethnic minorities. The election of a Labour Government will hopefully see the start of a more humane immigration policy. One of the first acts of the new Labour Home Secretary was to overturn one of the more bizarre decisions of his predecessor who was determined to deport a young Nepali who had been adopted by a British citizen. In this case, as in many others, the Conservatives had regularly ignored the decisions of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal. Labour seemed anxious to keep their heads down when the Asylum and Immigration Bill was being debated to avoid being seen as soft on illegal immigration in the run-up to the 1997 election.