IMPRISONING illegal immigrants (IIs) is a complete waste of taxpayers' money.
The expenditure this year on the prison service is likely to be $2.1 billion. One third of the prisoners are IIs. So this stupid policy of so-called deterrence is costing us $0.7 billion dollars a year.
With this sort of money we could look after 10,000 of our old people in good, comfortable old people's homes. And the policy does not deter the IIs.
The IIs feel they are well off in our luxurious prisons. The accommodation is much more spacious, much cleaner than they have in China and it is free. The food is adequate.
They can work and earn a salary in the prison workshops. They even get training in new skills.
Just a short while ago, a senior prison officer reported to me the following conversation: Senior prison officer: 'Well Mr II why are you back here in my prison again?' II: 'Last time I came, you trained me how to make trousers and now to want to learn how to make shirts also.' Let us stop the stupidity of this failed deterrent policy and let us send back the IIs as quickly and cheaply as possible.