This is why you need a deterrent and it’s no surprise crossing has gone up since Labour scrapped Rwanda. It’s the only significant change this
The home office needs to be committed to turning back boats (or other means) to France, refuse to grant asylum claimants to anyone who rocks up illegally and ensure they process anyone ‘offshore’.
For current asylum claimants, it’s implicitly a permanent settlement, ILR is granted after 5 years with no questions which gives them access to the British welfare state and the family reunion laws are so broad, it can literally apply to anyone. There was a ruling that allowed on Afghan man to bring 22 friends and family because anyone can be family.
To top it off, the vast number of these people are working aged males from violent countries, often undocumented. I don’t have polling data to hand but pretty sure the vast majority of people would only prefer to take in women and children. Frankly, it should be government policy to deny asylum to men below the state pension age and anyone claiming to be a minor or pensioner needs papers.
Ultimately, Macron was right when he called Britain ‘El Dorado’ for these illegal migrants making the crossing. You almost definitely won’t be removed if you commit crime, find work in the gig economy and after 5 years, you get ILR. That all needs to change and there isn’t a more unequipped PM to deal with this than Keir Starmer unfortunately. Not that Rishi Sunak was much better on this issue.
will address the rest but can we stop with:
“the vast majority are working age males from violent countries” bit?
Lets take it bit by bit: “from violent countries” well yeah, otherwise you’d complain there’s no need to claim asylum.
“working age males”
Why might this be? I was listening to something yesterday on R4 about the migrants who died in the back of a truck in Austria about ten years ago. Was really interesting actually as it interviewed the family of those who sent their son and some of the smugglers who are now in jail.
Anyway, the journey involved paying large amounts of cash to a smuggler and basically being told to get into whatever cramped transport was used, sometimes left in a random Serbian forest for two days to fend for themselves until the next guy is available. Theres often violence in cramped accommodations with no food and water. These people are literal people traffickers.
What do you think happens if a woman elderly person or child tries to make this journey? The elderly will likely die from dehydration and exhaustion. The children if they don’t die are likely to be abducted as they can’t fend for themselves and the women too likely to disappear into sex trafficking. So the only people likely to make it are working age men.
The guy who died was escaping ISIS and heading for Germany. They interviewed his grandad who paid and said they sent him because he could have a new life even if they couldn’t make it and didn’t want to leave their home.
I’m really not sure what you want long distance migrants to look like if not “working age”/“fighting age”/“spilling your woman and taking your pint age” men