Liberty: ID cards could be racially divisive

Biometic identity cards will be mandatory for foreign residents

Friday, 26, Jan 2007 12:00

The director of civil rights group Liberty has warned that new ID cards for foreign nationals could be "racially divisive".

The government is expected to announce the measure as part of a new borders bill today. All non-EU foreign residents would be issued with biometric identity cards.

Shami Chakrabarti told Today "If this is now about, not border control, but in-country immigration control, people stopped in the streets, as they are in other European countries on occasion, to make good their immigration status, their nationality, that is racially divisive."

The bill is likely to also contain measures for automatic deportation of foreign national after they serve prison sentences.

"I think it will be something along the lines ... of presumptive deportation, so there'll be a presumption that people be deported," said Ms Chakrabarti.

She added: "That would be in clear violation of every principle of natural justice that we've ever had in this country, let alone various human rights standards."