Reform UK Vows to Deport All 10,000 Foreign Prisoners, Including to El Salvador
Reform UK has pledged to deport all foreign nationals held in prisons across England and Wales, proposing to send those whose home countries won’t take them back to serve sentences in third countries like El Salvador and Kosovo.
Unveiling the policy, home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said “there are over 10,000 foreign nationals in British jails” and that the freed-up space would let serious domestic offenders serve full sentences instead of being released early.
Of the roughly 10,134 foreign nationals currently in custody, nearly a third are on remand and not yet convicted; a party spokesperson said only convicted offenders would qualify for deportation.
Leader Nigel Farage has reportedly opened talks with El Salvador about renting prison space, with party chairman Lee Anderson set to lead a delegation there in coming months, an approach modeled on a similar US-El Salvador deportation deal. Farage is also expected to pledge 12,000 new prison spaces via temporary “Nightingale prisons” and an end to early release for dangerous offenders.
Labour said the government is already working to deport foreign criminals and expand prison capacity, accusing Reform of lacking serious answers to the overcrowding crisis.
