Illegal immigration: Over the top | The Economist
▻http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21588362-perhaps-half-million-people-live-illegally-britain-governments-d
MARY, a Zimbabwean woman, first came to Britain in 2003. She flew in on a South African passport and immediately claimed asylum. Her claim was rejected, as the Home Office believed she really was South African. But, like many asylum seekers, she did not leave.
Several years—and appeals—later, she was almost deported, but avoided it by cutting herself with a blade she found in her cell. She has no right to be in Britain, let alone to work or claim benefits. But nor is she likely to be deported. “I don’t really know what happens now,” she says.