Woman Convicted of Supporting Terrorism Avoids Deportation on Human Rights Grounds

A woman convicted of supporting terrorism has avoided deportation from the UK after an immigration court found she was at severe risk of torture in her home country. The Algerian national, identified only as KB, entered the UK illegally in 2002. She was jailed for two years in 2020 after being convicted on two charges of distributing and circulating extremist material.

The woman has links to known terrorists and displayed an extremist mindset, according to court records. Despite these factors, the immigration court determined that deportation could not proceed on human rights grounds. The Upper Tribunal subsequently threw out an appeal lodged by the Home Office against that ruling.

The Home Office said it is disappointed in the court’s decision and is pursuing an appeal. Officials stated they will not allow foreign criminals to exploit the country’s laws. The department added that the Home Secretary has been clear anyone settling in the UK must have a clean criminal record.

The Home Office said it is reforming how human rights laws are applied in immigration cases to reduce the number of what it described as bogus appeals. The department is also replacing the appeals system to scale up deportations. The total was reached on Friday after a group of 70 migrants arrived at Dover Harbour aboard a dinghy launched from a beach near Dunkirk.

Official figures show small boat crossings have risen sharply since 2018, when 299 people crossed. The number increased to 1,843 in 2019, then escalated during the coronavirus pandemic as migrants shifted from hiding in lorries to using dinghies. Crossings reached 28,526 in 2021, 45,774 in 2022, 29,437 in 2023, 36,816 in 2024 and 41,472 last year.

Approximately 7,400 people have made the crossing so far this year, about 35 per cent lower than the same period last year. The latest group was picked up by the Border Force vessel Ranger after entering UK waters and taken to the Western Jetfoil facility in Dover for medical and security checks.