Mahmood warns Eritrea to take back small boat criminals or face a TOTAL visa ban for all its citizens
Shabana Mahmood, who warned Eritrea it faces a complete visa ban unless it accepts the return of its nationals arriving by small boat.An overcrowded inflatable dinghy on the English Channel, of the kind used by migrants crossing from France — Eritreans made up 18% of all small boat arrivals in the year to June, the single largest nationality.
Eritrea 'abruptly withdrew' returns cooperation earlier this year, triggering the crackdown, which also imposes a 37-mile travel limit on diplomats, confining them to the area around London.
Radiet Meles, 35, an Eritrean migrant who arrived in the UK illegally, was reportedly convicted of rape last month; the Home Office had previously failed to deport him after an earlier sex offence.
Angola and Namibia both backed down within three months after facing similar ultimatums last year, suggesting Mahmood's pressure tactic can force results.
