So much for controlling immigration!

It was clear from the start that this is what would happen - if we leave with No Deal, the French will stop the massive checks and controls at Calais and other ports - and the numbers will multiply vastly, as no-one will be there to stop them.

Twice in our lives we have given a home for a short while to asylum seekers who were very grateful and relieved to be safe.
They missed their own countries of course but they had no alternative.
One family were thrown out of Uganda by Idi Amin who expelled many/most Asians who in turn had "originally" been brought in by the British and given preferential treatment over the Africans.

The other were victims of the civil war in what is now South Sudan.
Now we have a few families from Syria living near us. I can assure anyone that they are law abiding, gentle people whom we meet from time to time.

Looking at that figure, I don't think its an awful lot. The difference between economic migrants and refugees is another discussion altogether.

Idi Amin- in mid 70s- remember it so well as so many arrived in Leicester. And of course Priti Patel's family - she does not seem to remember at all.

Totally besides the human and empathy issues- anyone who could not see that illegal immigration would not multiply massively once the French stop the massive efforts of police and CRS (SAS type force) in Calais- have never spent time in Calais in last few years, not talked to said police/CRS. Half the Hôtel we normally stay in has been commandeered by the French Government, as most of other Hôtels in the region, with staff drafted in from all over France- as part of agreements with the UK. This will stop on 31st of October if we leave with No Deal. There will be good businesses in hiring boats or taking people over.

Bluebelle I made it clear that I was posting this as a hot potato, meaning that it is likely to cause the kind of shenanigans that happens whenever a Brexit related thread is started.

And this IS Brexit related, I was looking forward to seeing Brexiters wriggling or denying it. I mostly avoid the political threads because of the hatchet jobs that happen, just goes to show they come from all directions. Did I say I was anti immigration or misunderstanding of why you might risk a dinghy across the Channel? NO.

It is Brexit related but I'll bet you absolutely nobody will have the guts to say so.

The irony is the UK has chucked out all the useful, white immigrants and opened the doors to who knows what.

Personally, I don't care who comes to this sad little place.

but i'll bet you absolutely nobody will have the guts to say so
Well here goes, deep breath. This is a Brexit related thread
There, I did it.
Now I can't get Kirk Douglas out of my head.

Sorry, didn't mean to be so fierce. Of course it's Brexit related. I saw a post the other day where someone quoted the irony of her elderly, anti-immigration, Leave - voting parents being looked after in their last days by foreign medical staff. Sad.

I think we're going to be worse off in so many ways. Not least as a result of the richness brought by other languages on our streets and the benefits of other culture's ways and food choices. It's made us so much more relaxed and less insular. I've also employed my share of Eastern European plumbers, builders and handymen , all of whom worked fantastically hard for good rates and who were a pleasure to have around.

I am friends with a lovely asylum seeker family. Wonderful, kind, strong, intelligent mum, fantastic, hard-working, clever, quiet, beautiful 16 yr old. Very sweet 5 year old. Dad, a professional in their own country, unable to work until their case is resolved.

She was a teacher and he was a publisher. The 4 of them are living in a squalid, tiny, 2 bed flat. But are very happy to be here and be safe with their children.

I wish I could help them.

petra, the hilarity continues.

Would anybody care to comment on immigration and Brexit?

Does anybody feel there was some element of racism in some people wishing to leave the EU?

Do you think people were duped into believing that leaving the EU may stop immigrants, coming here?

Let’s face it, Brexit was always about immigration not the economy. There’s plenty of evidence for that. As for having our fair share- Germany, France, Sweden have far more asylum seekers than the U.K.

The difference between economic migrants and refugees is another discussion altogether.

Absolutely right, Fiachna50, but it's one which needs to be had again (because we have had it on here in the past)

I'm sure that the OP had the best of intentions but muddying the waters by calling asylum seekers/refugees 'immigrants' was not helpful. We do control immigration from non-EU countries and we could have done far more to control 'immigration' via Freedom of Movement.

I think the leavers voted that because they wanted fewer immigrants, and some would have had racist reasons
But some would have thought they were doing what was best for the economy. You can't call all leavers racist.

Do you think people were duped into believing that leaving the EU may stop immigrants, coming here?

I always had a suspicion that Brexit would mean that the French would be very 'relaxed' about preventing refugees crossing the channel to the UK... Why on earth should they continue to put themselves out for a country that has flounced from the EU?

No thanks to those who voted for Brexit, these refugees will risk their lives between now and October 31st----before the border closes in this country !!

Voting Brexit was tantamount to being racist ! What other reason did you have for voting ? Answers on a postage stamp !

The important point to remember here is that those migrants attempting to enter our country illegally by boat have already passed through several European countries.

This then makes a complete nonsense of their claims that they are asylum seekers. If that were the case they should have applied for asylum in the first safe country they reached, as the rules state, but as we all know, they want to live in the 'soft touch' UK.

I don't know how many times it needs to be said, but we are a tiny country and cannot continue to house hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year.

They will continue to flood in here though, as long as we conveniently provide a water taxi service.

I think some people voted Leave not because they objected to people coming here, just that they wanted control over the numbers arriving here and to know who was arriving here. The bit I do not understand is why are people from say Vietnam and the Phillipines classed as asylum seekers? To my knowledge there is no war etc. What are they seeking asylum from? Perhaps this will start a meaningful discussion. Id like to add I did not mean to cause confusion with my post. I really wanted to say there is a big difference between refugees, asylum-seekers and economic migrants.

The U.K. has been a bit of a soft touch as we don’t have ID cards/ registration as they do in other European countries. Our governments have been too mean/ lax and couldn’t be ar*ed to implement the available controls . The people smuggling gangs should be sorted out via cooperation between EU countries, but again the U.K. can’t be ar*sed to do that. Leaving the EU won’t make the slightest change to that despite what the Farages of this world say.

And then we have idiotic doctors who don’t agree with charging people from overseas for their treatment.

No wonder they all want to come here.

Since when has France been an 'unsafe' country that people needed to flee from fearing for their lives?

These are no longer refugees.

They don’t “all” want to come here. Plenty want to go elsewhere.

"-before the border closes in this country !"
In practice, how do you think this can be done, EllanVanin?
We'll always be accessible via hundreds of miles of sea coast.
Not enough maritime patrols to police our island.

EllanVannin, innanswer tomyour post "what other excuse did you have for voting, answers on a postage stamp"

Myself and others who voted leave actually done a lot of research on the EU "governing body" the vast amount of money wasted by moving parliaments frequently, expense accounts, gilt edged pensions, fraudulent claims etc.

The EU as it stands has got too big and is failing a lot of its member states. Greece, Italy, Spain even France and Germany are seeing a downturn.

Does anyone remember that case of some African woman who turned up here pregnant with quads. They were born here which cost the NHS many thousands. She has now gone back having not paid a penny and the authorities have no idea where she is.

I guess though we should be thankful she left or doubtless she would now be in a council house here claiming benefits.

WHY are we such a soft touch?