Suella Braverman Vows to Root out ‘Crooked Immigration Lawyers’ With Task Force

Home Secretary Suella Braverman vowed to root out “crooked immigration lawyers” on Tuesday as she unveiled a task force targeting lawyers who coach illegal immigrants to lie.

The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the Professional Enablers Taskforce, which targets “a small minority” of “unscrupulous lawyers,” has already uncovered a case in which an immigration firm is linked to “one of the most wanted human traffickers.”

The official launch came after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) shut down three firms that were exposed to be offering fake asylum claims for cash.

Ms. Braverman and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk are also set to meet with the SRA and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner on Tuesday to discuss prosecutions against such immigration lawyers.

But heads of The Law Society said there’s nothing new in the announcement, with one director saying ministers are using “a bit of lawyer-bashing as a distraction” when it should focus on clearing asylum backlogs.

Launching the task force, Ms. Braverman said “crooked immigration lawyers must be rooted out and brought to justice.”

“While the majority of lawyers act with integrity—we know that some are lying to help illegal migrants game the system. It is not right or fair on those who play by the rules,” she said in a statement.

The home secretary said she’s “determined” to crack down on these lawyers and stop the smuggling of illegal immigrants on small boats.

The justice secretary also vowed to hold to account “unscrupulous lawyers who aid and abet them by abusing the legal system.”

“The accuracy and honesty of legal advice underpin the integrity of our world-leading legal system, so those who undermine it by encouraging deception must be held to account,” Mr. Chalk said.

The task force has been doing preliminary work for a few months.

One firm, which was found to be “linked to one of the most wanted human traffickers,” has been referred to the police, the government said.

The departments also said lawyers found to be coaching immigrants to lie can could face up to life in prison under the Immigration Act 1971 for “assisting unlawful immigration to the UK.”

The taskforce is expected to expand its targets to include doctors, accountants, and employers who use their expertise to facilitate illegal migration, the government said.