𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Foreign nationals were arrested for more than 170,000 alleged crimes last year – including murder, rape and grooming offences. Overseas citizens were arrested for at least 50,507 violent offences, 12,151 sex crimes, 13,864 drug offences and 13,400 thefts in the year to March 2025, new research has revealed.

Analysis of police figures revealed foreign nationals were arrested for at least 172,889 alleged crimes. The Centre for Migration Control, which collated the figures, said the UK should consider Donald Trump-style red lists of countries. Its proposals would see visas restricted or limited for countries that refuse to take back illegal migrants or whose nationals are linked to higher crime rates.

The Centre for Migration Control said it is the most comprehensive dataset ever produced on crimes allegedly committed by foreign nationals.

But the true figure will be even higher, as five forces, including Merseyside and Essex, could not provide figures for the year to March. Instead, they only had the first 10 months of 2024.

Robert Bates, research director of the Centre for Migration Control, told the Daily Express: “It should be simple: any foreign national falling foul of any of our laws must be removed and prevented from returning.

“We must leave the ECHR to block appeals that keep foreign convicts on our streets, and we certainly should not be, as is now the case, giving foreign criminals financial and welfare support once they return to their own country. Their wellbeing is not our concern.

“Committing a crime in Britain as a foreign national should be made into an aggravating offence that carries stricter sentencing for the basic fact that they have abused our hospitality.

“As well as deporting those who have broken our laws, we must also stop bad apples from entering in the first place. We should follow the lead of President Trump and introduce a red list of countries, banning visas to those nations that refuse to take back illegal migrants and are overrepresented in crime stats.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Express: “These figures are appalling. Innocent British citizens are being murdered, raped and robbed in our thousands by legions of foreign criminals.

“Foreign criminals should not even be here. Every single foreign criminal needs to be rapidly deported back to their home country – with no delays and no messing around with endless court cases.

“The ECHR and modern slavery legislation are often used by murderers, rapists and other criminals to avoid deportation.

“The Conservative plan is therefore to leave the ECHR and remove modern slavery laws so that every foreign criminal can be quickly deported. But Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is too weak to do that.”

Figures obtained by the Centre for Migration Control reveal the Metropolitan Police arrested foreign nationals for 52,306 offences in the year to March.

Greater Manchester Police detained 15,015, West Midlands 9,716, West Yorkshire 6,943, Kent 5,250 and Thames Valley Police 4,583.

Nationally, this means foreign nationals are arrested for 473 crimes every day, or 20 every hour.

Over one in three foreign nationals arrested in London were linked to violent offences, the Centre for Migration Control said, while almost 10% of foreign national arrests in the West Midlands were for sex crimes.

In the year to March 2025, the Met arrested foreign nationals for 14,946 violent crimes, West Midlands 3,395, West Yorkshire 3,083, Kent Police 2,920 and Thames Valley Police 2,725.

The Sunday Express has revealed how the Home Office is so desperate for failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals to leave voluntarily that they are being offered help setting up businesses, accessing education and accommodation for “up to five nights” in their home country.

People removed to a host of countries, including Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Jamaica, can also request someone to meet them at the airport and receive help “finding and reuniting” with family members.

But they are also being shown how they could migrate legally.

Police are not “currently mandated to record nationality on arrest”, government sources said, adding that the Home Office wants to improve its data.

But Donald Trump, as part of efforts to reduce illegal immigration and crime in the US, announced a travel ban and visa restrictions for more than 30 countries.

Among those facing travel restrictions are Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen.

Reform MP Lee Anderson said: “This report is further evidence of what we have said all along. Foreign criminals are a threat to our national security, they are a danger to girls and women on our streets. Reform will make Britain safer again, beginning with the deportation of criminals and zero tolerance policing.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We do not recognise these figures.

“We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws. We are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system so we can scale up deportations.

“All foreign national offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity.”