THE Home Office was “institutionally racist” over its “hostile environment” policy towards migrants, a report into the Windrush scandal has found.
Strong language in the damning report was later stripped out, removing criticism of the department.
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The Windrush review looked at the Home Office’s policy of detaining and deporting Caribbean migrants who had a right to live in Britain.
According to The Times, it concluded the Home Office was “institutionally racist”, only for the allegations to be removed in later drafts.
Leaked extracts found the department was “reckless” and had a “defensive culture” over immigration policy.
A number of long-term residents of the UK, known as the Windrush Generation, were denied re-entry or threatened with deportation.
Former PM Theresa May headed up the Home Office at the time the “hostile environment policy” was brought in.
The then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd was forced to resign over the scandal revealed in 2018.
One of the recommendations, now taken out of the report, said the policy of removing foreign-born offenders who had come to Britain as children should be ended.
Home Secretary Priti Patel this week defended the decision to deport Jamaican migrants, despite many of them living in Britain for decades.
The courts last week prevented a plane full of Jamaican offenders being deported.
The release of the report has been delayed again and again, and ministers criticised in the review are currently being given the change to respond as it inches closer to publication.
Leaked extracts from last year obtained by Channel 4 recommended staff at the Home Office should be educated about Britain’s colonial past.
It also said ministers should apologise for their actions in the Windrush Scandal.
Ms Patel has come under fire this week for bullying allegations from staff.
Former ministers and officials have described her behaviour as “aggressive” and “vile” when she was an employment minister in the Department for Work and Pensions.
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