Immigration reform
sir – The influx of illegal migrants, which Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, promises to stop (report, March 7), has compounded more than two decades of unprecedented levels of legal immigration, with no electoral mandate and no comparable provision of housing and infrastructure. At the heart of this policy is the apparent belief that the size of Britain’s population is immaterial.
Asylum laws date from the end of the Second World War, when international – let alone intercontinental – travel was comparatively rare. In an increasingly unstable world, with problems exacerbated by exploding populations, climate change and warfare, they require revision.
Chris Jones
Croydon, Surrey
sir – As a former director (ports) of the then Immigration Service, I am pessimistic about the Government’s plan to deter and prevent asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats.
Even if it gains sufficient support for the changes to become law, there will inevitably be legal challenges involving both domestic and international law. Secondly, there are questions over the practicality of holding securely and then deporting large numbers of arrivals, given the very limited size of detention facilities.
There is also the question of where to deport them to. It is hoped that the numbers of arrivals will decrease, but where are the “safe countries” that will accept deportees? Rwanda is quoted, but my understanding is that it has few holding facilities and will charge large sums for each deportee.
The problem could be stopped virtually overnight if France accepted the return of migrants, which would break the traffickers’ business model. The French say they wish to rid the Pas-de-calais area of migrant camps and to stop the traffic. The UK has contributed tens of millions of pounds to assist – but to little effect. Pressure must be applied to persuade the French to intercept the boats in their waters, rather than shadowing them until they reach British waters. Furthermore, rather than releasing those who are intercepted – only for them to try again – deterrent action must be taken against them.
More widely, the UK should call on the EU to beef up arrangements for the prevention of asylum seekers entering the Schengen Area illegally. And while the current focus is on the small boats problem, the even bigger problem of failed asylum seekers and “overstayers” who are not being removed from Britain must also be addressed.
Peter Higgins
West Wickham, Kent