29th January 2023
As always, there are a huge range of issues that the Government need to address.
Some of these will be addressed as part of other Blogs.
However, I believe that there will be 2 KEY PRIORITIES for the Government going into the next General Election. And if the Government can make significant progress on these Priorities then the electorate may well consider supporting the current Government for a further term in power.
This Blog focuses on the 1st of the Key Priorities.
Protecting UK Borders
Stopping illegal immigration & controlling our borders will be a KEY PRIORITY at next General Election.
WHY ?
We know the cost of allowing tens of thousands illegal immigrants into the UK each year.
- the current policy of housing illegal immigrants in the UK, whether in initial assessment centres, hotels and privately rented accommodation dispersed around the UK runs to billions of pounds per year
- the impact of additional people coming to the UK in an unplanned and uncontrolled manner is immense. It leads to huge additional demand on local services like the Housing, NHS and Education
- mass migration changes the host country. Tens of thousands of people each year with different cultures, different languages, different behavioural norms, different religions, different attitudes to the law, different attitudes to the people of the UK, in particular women & children, will surely change the culture of a country. Not always for the better.
- the predominant method that illegal immigrants journey to the UK at the moment is via dinghy’s across the Channel, which can be extremely dangerous. Indeed, many have already died making the trip. And many more will die unless illegal immigration is stopped
- a sovereign country MUST be able to decide who has a right to come here and who doesn’t
So, we have to stop illegal immigration.
Here are some of the critical aspects of doing this.
Legislation
As a matter of urgency, the UK needs to ensure that UK law and its Courts have primacy, by
- fully implementing the provisions in the Nationality & Borders Bill
- withdrawing from the ECHR
- exit the 1951 Refugee Convention
- repealing the Human Rights Act 1998
- development & implementation of the UK Bill of Rights
- writing, re-writing or removing UK laws as required
A nation must be free to define its own objectives and policies and be able to implement its own laws and processes to achieve them, without the prospect of being overridden by others.
This must NEVER be allowed to happen again.
THE UK MUST TAKE BACK CONTROL
Definitions
Part of the legal framework to deal with ‘Asylum Seekers’, ‘Refugees’, ‘Legal Economic Migrants’ and ‘Illegal Economic Migrants’ is to have clear, unambiguous, well understood and well communicated definitions of these terms, and the laws & processes to enable their control.
It seems very obvious to me that many people, such as the Main Stream Media, Politicians, Human Rights Charity’s, Human Rights Lawyers and other groups with vested interests, mix up the definitions of these groups of people, and often use the terms interchangeably.
Some I am sure do this because they simply don’t get the difference, while others choose to do this to confuse and mislead for their own purposes.
Some openly want open borders, and are happy for the whole world to be able to turn up on UK shores.
Yet, when questioned, and I have questioned many, after some evasion they ALWAYS finally admit to locking the front door of the homes. Feeling the need to protect their borders, but wanting open borders for the country.
Another critical part of the legal framework should be the clear and agreed definition of a ‘SAFE Country’ and which Country’s should be considered SAFE.
And this definition should extend to both Country or Origin AND final Country of Departure before arriving in the UK.
This can be done very quickly.
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WE MUST BE VERY CLEAR WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.
Reducing the DRAW FACTORS for Illegal Economic Migrants
Clearly, the most urgent need at present is the management and control of Illegal Economic Migrants.
These are the 1000’s that cross the channel each week, leaving the safety of France to make a perilous journey on often unseaworthy dinghy’s, and pay people traffickers thousands of pounds to enable this. They are predominantly young men, with no Identification papers, we just don’t know who they are. Sometimes we know where they have come from, mostly we don’t.
Why do they come to the UK ?
- the UK legal framework is just not suitable anymore to dealing with this situation
- Illegal Economic Migrants are now big business. Many charities and legal company’s gain huge amounts of work, and therefore revenue, from this business. The migrants have a lot of help to remain in the UK
- the belief has grown amongst these migrants that once they arrive in the UK there is little or no chance of them ever being removed.
- we look after them well, they are now being housed in expensive and luxurious hotels, at taxpayer expense, and other accommodation is being considered, like empty holiday camps, cruise ships etc.
- usually they are not held under detention conditions, they are usually free to come and go as they wish
- they receive free accommodation
- free & readily available healthcare
- free money
- food
- free legal advice and support
One of the most important factors is that once here, it is extremely difficult to remove Illegal Economic Migrants, and they know it.
Removals including implementation of the RWANDA proposal would act as a severe deterrent and would certainly reduce the draw to the UK.
So again, Why do they come to the UK ?
The answer is simple. Why wouldn’t they ?
It is critical then that the draw factors need to be fully identified and removed, this can be done easily
THE UK MUST BE LESS ATTRACTIVE TO ILLEGAL ECONOMIC MIGRANTS
People Trafficking Gangs
People Trafficking is one of the biggest businesses in the world.
It’s also illegal.
Their business model MUST be destroyed.
The UK working with International Partners must identify People Trafficking gangs and remove them. Trafficking gangs and gang masters must be prosecuted and given lengthy prison sentences.
This will need to be near the point of departure to the UK (usually France) but also closer to the Country’s of origin for these migrants, and all points in between.
To do this, we will need to work closely with other international partners, both strategically and operationally.
International Partnerships
The majority of Illegal Economic Migrants arriving into the UK have done so after leaving FRANCE in a dinghy.
France is a SAFE country, they have usually travelled through many SAFE country’s to get to France.
It must be a clearly accepted principle that anyone leaving a SAFE country to come to the UK illegally and without documentation HAS NO RIGHT TO BE HERE AND CAN BE REMOVED IMMEDIATELY.
The UK must develop and extend International partnership with these country’s to solve this problem.
RWANDA & Other Country’s
The agreement with RWANDA to process Asylum applications is innovative and legal.
BUT, it will act as a deterrent ONLY ONCE IT IS IMPLEMENTED AND REMOVALS ARE TAKING PLACE. We need to get this operational ASAP.
The RWANDA principle must be extended, with agreements with other Country’s established. This will take time, but can be done.
Removals
Protecting UK borders must include removal of those people with no right to remain in the UK.
Those already here :
A quick win would be the immediate removal of
- ANYONE with failed Asylum Seeker Status
- ANYONE that arrived in the UK, illegally and/or without documentation from or having travelled through ANY country designated as a ‘SAFE COUNTRY’
- ALL Foreign National Criminals at the point of sentencing, on release from prison, or those in the community
- ALL Foreign Nationals on the UK terror watch lists
This can be done very quickly.
New Arrivals :
Bold and tough targets need to be established and managed for the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK.
One of the major problems is that once those with no no right to remain in the UK actually step foot on UK soil, it seems to become extremely difficult to ever remove them.
To protect our borders and people, the UK must establish and operate a returns framework that swiftly returns these arrivals to the country of their origin (when known), to the last safe country they passed through (usually France) or to some 3rd party country with a partnership agreement to process and/or house people for offshore processing, WITHOUT THEM SETTING FOOT ON UK SOIL.
This must be a vital operating process in protecting our borders, and must be the aim for the UK,
Until this process is operational, which is a matter of urgency, then it may be necessary to process the arrivals in the UK.
New Arrivals should be held in detention centres under detention conditions whilst their assessment takes place, and removed at the earliest opportunity.
No hotels, no cruise ships, no holiday parks, no housing in local community’s, no dispersal around the UK.
Biometric testing & recording and age verification must be undertaken.
Every effort should be made to establish their country of origin, or it should be assigned as the last safe country they passed through. Anyone identified as a foreign national criminal at this point should be immediately deported.
Removals should then take place to these locations to or a 3rd party partnership country for off shore processing.
Those identified for removal must have no further opportunity for appealing the decision.
Personally, I see no reason that decisions couldn’t be made and removals implemented within 2 weeks of arrival. Maybe even less than 1 week is possible.
Border Patrol & Home Offince Staffing
Delivering ANY government Policy depends on having Civil Servants who understand that their job is to operationally DELIVER the actions required meet the Policy, to do the tasks assigned to them, and to do it to the best of their ability.
Their role is NOT to define or make Policy, and NOT to undermine it or the Government. Some Civil Servants totally forget this !
Civil Servants must be held accountable for the tasks they are assigned, and given targets that are far more in line with private sector expectations.
More training may be required, more staff may be required, and, some staff may need to be removed.
Conclusion
There is no silver bullet to solving the problem of illegal immigration.
This Blog identifies some of the things that need to happen.
Undoubtedly there are more.
Each one will contribute to solving the problem. But it will not solve the problem on its own.
A sovereign country MUST be able to protect its Borders.
The UK must be able to choose who comes to the UK and who doesn’t.
Protecting UK borders is a difficult subject, but it’s important and we must talk about it.
But we must do more than talk.
WE MUST DO IT NOW!
Thanks for reading.
Graham
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