Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the impact of Operation Nexus on tackling offending by foreign nationals; and how many people were arrested for immigration offences as part of Operation Nexus in each of the last ten years.

‘Operation Nexus’, introduced in September 2012, was a business management mechanism intended to maximise intelligence, information and worldwide links in relation to Foreign National Offenders (FNOs). The mechanism was used to manage and respond to ‘high-harm’ FNOs, to reduce the threat to the public, and to identify individuals with no leave to remain and liable to removal from the UK. Operation Nexus was a partnership between Home Office Immigration Enforcement and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

Nexus formally ended in 2019/2020. However, the Home Office continues to work with Law Enforcement Engagement Teams, Immigration Intelligence, Regional Organised Crime Units and the International Crime and Co-ordination Centre in relation to serious harm referrals and to communicate key messages around FNOs.

Home Office publishes information on returns from the UK, including returns of FNOs.

This can be found at the following link: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).