Algorithm decisions and re-purposed Rwanda logistics highlighted in migration policy review

~ Scott Harris ~

Solidarity campaigners had few illusions about Keir Starmer’s government treating migrants with any more dignity, fairness and respect than the Tories. “The main difference is the packaging”, says research group Corporate Watch in a recent analysis. Among other topics, the analysis highlights the increasing role of algorithms in processing vulnerable lives, and how Rwanda logistics are being re-purposed to ramp up charter deportations.

In just a few months in office, Starmer’s government is said to have carried out the three largest mass deportations in British history. Immigration Enforcement (now headed by Sajid Javid’s brother, Bas) carried out raids and checks on nearly 300 sites over just a few weeks in August. One widely-publicised incident in Bristol targeting Brazilian delivery drivers.

Besides packing planes full of people (three flights to Brazil have each carried over 200 passengers), the government opened up a new charter route with mass deportations to Timor-Leste and Vietnam. While Rwanda is off the table, in October Starmer agreed a plan to temporarily offshore people who claim asylum on the British-occupied Chagos Islands.

Particularly concerning is IPIC, a Home Office algorithm – used in conjunction with a database called TRaM – which recommends specific migrants for detention and deportation based on certain criteria. This may enable raids against particular groups for the purposes of large-scale deportation flights and increased media impact. Another concerning project is Home Office Biometrics (HOB), a central database which will allow police and immigration officers to search for ID matches based on fingerprints, DNA and facial recognition—and likely voice and iris recognition in future.

The full analysis also covers the expansion of detention facilities, and the expansion of anti-terror laws in the new Immigration Bill. “The Rwanda plan may be dead, but when the government is eyeing up alternatives, and machines are ‘recommending’ people for bigger deportation flights to new destinations, it certainly doesn’t feel like a victory”, said Corporate Watch.