UK hires bounty hunters to find illegals

British officials say they've hired bounty hunters to locate and remove thousands of people still in the country after their travel documents expired. Nearly 175,000 immigrants have overstayed their visas and are still in the country, The Daily Telegraph reported. A private agency, Capita, will be paid up to $64.8 million to contact the people and arrange travel documents and flights for them to return to their home countries, Rob Whiteman, chief executive of the UK Border Agency, told the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday. Workers and students who refused to leave England after their visas expired are on a list known as the Migrant Refusal Pool. The list, set up in 2008, had 159,313 names by December 2011. By July it had grown to 174,057. Those who entered the country illegally or failed asylum seekers are not included in the list. Capita will contact those on the list by letter, telephone or email, but will not visit in person. Those who refuse to leave will be referred to the UKBA.