Mayor Boris Johnson says amnesty for illegal immigrants would be 'morally right'
Amnesty for immigrants
9 March 2009
BORIS Johnson has said an amnesty for illegal immigrants would be “morally right” after research suggested nearly three-quarters of a million are living in Britain.
A London School of Economics study estimated the number of “irregular” immigrants and their dependants reached 725,000 in 2007. Two-thirds are thought to live in the capital.
In an interview for the BBC’s Panorama programme, Johnson said the latest findings demonstrated there had been a “catastrophic failure of the government to control our borders”.
“It’s morally right that they should contribute in their taxes to the rest of society, as a regularisation of their status would allow,” he added.
According to the LSE report, 450,000 people could be regularised if a five-year minimum residence qualification was used.
The idea of an amnesty is opposed by both the Government and the leadership of the Conservative Party.
Panorama, BBC One, tonight, 8.30pm
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