No passport? No problem

03.05.04, 09:38
www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004201690,00.html


Ferry nice ... migrants from Poland arrive at Dover






By CHARLES RAE

MIGRANTS demanding to be let into Britain were waved through yesterday —
WITHOUT passports.

Angry scenes erupted at Calais and Dover as streams of coaches arrived from
Eastern Europe following the expansion of the EU.

Many of those on board could only show ID cards issued in their own countries.

British immigration officials sent to beef up security in Calais backed down
after initially trying to bar them.

One witness, a Frenchwoman who WAS forced to show her passport, said: “I was
appalled.” Danielle Hughes, 37, who is married to an Englishman, was on the
same coach as 70 workers without passports from the Czech Republic and
Slovakia.

Danielle, who had been on holiday to Prague, said: “Their behaviour was
disgusting.

“They were being very threatening towards the staff and caused chaos.

“They seemed to think they didn’t need a passport, saying their embassy in
London had told them they only needed their own country’s ID card.

“In the end the immigration staff just let them through.”

The migrants, who DO need to show a passport before they are let into
Britain, were allowed to board a ferry to Dover — where the row was repeated.
But again officials caved in. One immigration worker said of the new
arrivals: “They thought they could just travel with an ID card from their own
country.

“Clearly this is not right. But we were told to let them in. There was some
discussion at a higher level among our bosses.” Last night the Immigration
Service refused to comment on the security shambles.

But a spokesman said: “Staff are all trained to deal with the arrival of
people from the countries which have joined the EU.” At Dover, migrants were
greeted by smiling officials who said: “Welcome to England.”

The new arrivals were allowed through passport control with what appeared to
be barely a glance at their documents. Richard Searle, Immigration Inspector
for the South East, was yesterday reported to have urged staff not to
computer-check barcodes on migrants’ passports. Pole Peter Sokotowski, 33,
told how coaches from Warsaw were booked solid for weeks ahead. He
said: “Unemployment in Poland is high and the standard of living low so
everyone wants to come to England.”

Scores of Eastern Europeans also jetted into Stansted airport in Essex
yesterday. Au pair Veronica Ludas, 22, from Budapest, said: “I am so happy
Hungary has joined Europe. I chose to come to England because it is a nice
country.”

Patten tipped

EX-Tory Cabinet minister Chris Patten is favourite to take over as President
of the European Commission.

The former Hong Kong governor would replace Romano Prodi, who is returning to
Italian politics.

Mr Patten, 59, who lost his seat in the 1992 General Election, is backed for
the job by Tony Blair.

The PM sees him as a big asset during a referendum on the EU Constitution. He
is also backed by French ex-President Giscard d’Estaing who drew up the
Constitution.
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