More immigrants crossing the Channel

In the Daily Telegraph this morning -

“A better place to start understanding the problem is our uniquely open economy and society. Unlike most European countries, we have no system of mandatory identity cards. We have universal public services that are free at the point of use and rarely require users to prove they are legally resident here.

We have a significant black economy, in which illegal immigrants can work – often exploited by criminal bosses – without fear of identification and deportation. And we have a remarkably open formal economy, too. Illegal immigrants are often able to find work in legitimate businesses, and are sometimes even issued with National Insurance numbers.

Then there is Britain’s Byzantine immigration system and our easily abused human rights laws. The usual way of claiming asylum is when the claimant is already in Britain. But this encourages many to take dangerous and illegal journeys to get here. And instead of helping those with the greatest need, it means we reward the strongest and wealthiest: two thirds of asylum seekers in Britain are men and most are in their twenties.

This is well understood by the organised criminals who smuggle people across borders and make their profits from a grim trade in human beings.”

For all the hysterics who go on about the UK being invaded And everyone wants to get here -
The number of asylum applications received by European countries in 2019:
Germany: 165,615
France: 128,940
Spain: 117,795
Greece: 77,275
UK: 44,835
that's applications not people granted leave to remain. The number of people arriving on small boats is absolutely tiny in the scheme of things.

vegansrock Just pointing out that we are a much smaller country than all of those you mention above.

Canada, US and Australia all settle many more refugees as a proportion of population than the UK.
www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/06/canada-now-leads-the-world-in-refugee-resettlement-surpassing-the-u-s/

In 2019, only 0.5% of the world’s refugees were resettled anywhere

Why do they all want to come here, so many just disappear into almost slave labour. Sort that out and it won’t be a problem. It suits France to pass the problem on.

So Australia isn’t as nasty as some like to say? That’s good to hear. It must just be the boats of illegal immigrants they turn around. Our Border Force could learn a thing or two. Maybe come January we will. Or cut down on some of the carrots that entice illegals to risk a crossing.

No, Urmstongran the issue of the waters in the channel is that it's SO narrow that UK waters actually MEET the French. This is a particularly difficult thing for the sort of policing you would like to see.

Basically, if an unsafe boat is discovered in the French water they have an obligation to prevent loss of life. The numbers of vessels they return to France has gone up year on year.
Likewise, we have responsibility if they are found in our waters. These are the ones we "escort" to prevent loss of life.

This, on the surface of it is clear and straightforward, BUT, because there is NO international water in the middle we can't push anyone anywhere as we would then be in French jurisdiction.

Hope this clears up some misunderstandings.

No need to wonder why they come here

Thank you NotSpaghetti it does indeed. This is such a conundrum. I think we need to go back to the drawing board, get some brains on the case to thrash something out.

Cruise ships anchored in our waters are being looked at as are converting 5 prisons enabling these migrants to stay in one place and be processed properly and fairly.

Firecracker123

No need to wonder why they come here

Not if they're here illegally, in which case they can't claim benefits. Benefits for legal immigrants are actually more generous in countries such as Germany and France.

Any other reasons?

Over 6,000 homeless veterans, who have given their service to our country will be sleeping rough on our streets tonight

Nealry 48,000 illegal migrants, who haven't given anything to our country will be sleeping in 3/4/5 Star Hotels tonight.

The UK in 2020 ?‍♀️?

Many a true word spoken in jest!

An MP talking on the radio this morning put forward the idea of taking France to court under enabeling people to commit a criminal act

We all claim, I think- that we tried to be the best parents we could. And the question is, if I lived in a country which is being bombed, where people are herded into concentration camps or similar, where my children are hungry, starving even and have no chance of an education, healthcare or a future - what would I do? I know the answer.

What would you do Firecracker?

Others have done before when persecuted, Huguenots, Jews, Kenyan asians in the mid 70s - at first they were all treated like dirt by a section of the population- many have contributed massively to our Nation in 1000s of ways.

Reading through the posts on this thread, I get the impression that most of us are not in sympathy with the migrants and want the government to do something to put a stop to them. So why do so many people condemn President Trump for wanting to build a wall across the border with Mexico?

Your map btw, is 50% right - they leave because of war ...

Geographical size of country isn’t the point, Sweden takes more in than the U.K. btw. if size of country was the important factor why not just send them to Australia or a Brazil. Also most don’t get benefits- it’s the lack of regulation in employment we need to tackle, and cooperating with other countries to stop people trafficking plus helping poor countries develop to stop the migration in the first place.

MerylStreep

An MP talking on the radio this morning put forward the idea of taking France to court under ^enabeling people to commit a criminal act^

I don't think that what they are doing is illegal. Anyone can get in a boat and take it wherever they want to. Whether they are allowed to land in another country when they get there is a rather different matter.

Asylum seekers are 'allowed', and no, they are not legally obliged to seek asylum in the first 'safe' country they land in.

A few hundred people will have no effect at all on British Economy, etc. BUT.....the effect of staying her for those people will be life changing

Urmstongran’, you refer to human beings as ‘illegals’. Really? Really?? Sociologists who study genocide have shown that the first step towards genocide is to get the population to dehumanise people by using this kind of terminology. First, use terms that diminish their humanity. Then show that we humans have priority over these sub-humans. That means it’s ok to abuse, terrorise and kill them.

I despair.

Hear, hear, geekesse?

world migration can never be stopped, there are numerous reasons to want to change country, escape persecution, economic, wanting an education, health care, escape from heat and starvation etc etc. Migration has always gone on and always will. Immigration needs to be better managed in this country and that includes not being allowed to form ghettos from which they will never integrate,

How many of you are children or grandchildren of migrants? Quite a few I should think.

geekesse

*Urmstongran’*, you refer to human beings as ‘illegals’. Really? Really?? Sociologists who study genocide have shown that the first step towards genocide is to get the population to dehumanise people by using this kind of terminology. First, use terms that diminish their humanity. Then show that we humans have priority over these sub-humans. That means it’s ok to abuse, terrorise and kill them.

I despair.

Absolutely, but I despair of the utter lack of humanity of so many posters on this forum.

craftyone asks - "How many of you are children or grandchildren of migrants? Quite a few I should think."

It is also true that many of our own children and grandchildren have migrated to other countries. In fact I would say that this is true of more than half of my friends.

The difference is that our family members have been fortunate enough to migrate legally, They were not fleeing war or persecution and were not exploited by people traffickers.