Bill for asylum and migration cases soars to £14m
12 April 2012
More than £14 million was paid in legal costs, compensation and other payments to asylum seekers and immigrants last year, figures showed today.
The UK Border Agency paid out more than £2 million more than the previous year, the agency's annual report for 2010/11 showed.
The total included payments to families who were unlawfully detained and removed, as well as £175,000 in compensation to an asylum seeker who was unlawfully detained and injured in custody.
Legal costs topped £7.7 million in more than 1,000 cases, compared with £3.8 million for 691 cases in 2009/10.
A UKBA spokeswoman said: "We use our powers to detain individuals when we believe it is reasonable and lawful to do so and regularly review the system."
