Illegal immigrant convicted in fatal stabbing after deportation from UK stopped by Labour MPs, celebrities

Ernesto Elliott, a Jamaican criminal, who managed to avoid deportation with the help of UK Labour MPs and celebrities, committed murder six months later, The Daily Mail reports.

Elliott was supposed to leave the United Kingdom on a Home Office charter flight in December 2020 but was able to dodge the removal process thanks to last-minute human rights appeals.

Elliott was due to be on the chartered Boeing 757 in December 2020 after being convicted of "knife crime." However, he, along with 22 other criminals submitted last-minute appeals, including human rights claims, which led to their avoiding deportation to Jamaica.

The 23 criminals had been sentenced to a combined 156 years in jail. The appeals were made just days after 60 celebrities, authors, and other public figures signed an open letter opposing the flight. These included supermodel Naomi Campbell, Thandiwe Newton, James Bond actress Naomie Harris, and historian David Olusoga. Several Labour MPs also added their signatures.

Opposition MPs even compared the deportation flight to the Windrush scandal, even though the Caribbean migrants who suffered injustice in that had committed no crimes. After avoiding deportation in 2020, Elliott was released back onto the streets within weeks, as the Home Office can detain foreign national offenders only if there is a ‘realistic prospect of imminent removal’.

Former Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who oversaw the attempt to remove Elliott, said that the case showed why it was crucial to defy "do-gooders" who try to block deportations. She added, "This case is exactly why we must continue to defy the protestations from the Labour Party, the do-gooding celebrities, and immigration lawyers and remove convicted foreign criminals, rapists, murderers, child abusers, and drug dealers who have no right to be in this country."

The Home Office spokesman said, "Foreign national offenders who exploit our system and commit crimes here in the UK will face the full force of the law, including deportation at the earliest opportunity for those eligible. While legal challenges can frustrate immediate deportation, we remain resolute in our commitment to deport those who abuse our hospitality."