Held up to seven days in immigration centers before being repatriated to their countries of origin: this is what has happened so far in the United Kingdom to at least thirty European citizens, including Germans, Greeks, Italians, Romanians and Spaniards, who after Brexit had tried to enter the country for work without having the necessary visa or residency status under the 'EU Settlement Scheme'.
The Politico.eu website provides the numbers of EU citizens detained in these centers since the beginning of the year.
The British Home Office has not yet released official figures.
Most of the cases, Politico reports citing anonymous diplomatic sources from EU countries, involve young people, many of whom try to enter the United Kingdom for low-skilled jobs and for short periods of time. The length of their detention could be explained in part by the travel restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic, which translates into fewer flights available for repatriation. European embassies in London, according to the site, offer legal advice and are taking action to try to shorten the detention period, although not all EU citizens are seeking consular support.