Asylum seekers - are we going too far?

[RiceOnABike]

I will start by saying that I am very sympathetic to asylum seekers, and until now I've believed that we should do all we can to help them in their plight. However...

A small village in Northamptonshire (population 500) is soon to become home to 400 refugees who have arrived here by crossing the channel. This village seems to be very rural, about 8 miles away from the nearest town I think. Apparently there are no facilities there whatsoever apart from a small shop. The migrants will have access to the local GPs and NHS dentists, and we all know how much pressure they are under at the moment. But the straw that has broken the camel's back for me is where they will be staying. Yes, that is really it in the photos. How can we justify all this when the everyday Brit is struggling to heat their homes at the moment? And more worryingly, what sort of deterrent is it to others considering making that dangerous journey across the channel?

So am I being unreasonable, or are we now offering too much?

I contract hotels as part of my job and you will be surprised the amount of hotels that have closed due to taking on Government contracts to house refugees. Even the best 4 star hotels and some lovely rural hotels. I don't agree with it but if you were a hotelier and it's guaranteed income, what would you do?

YANBU, definitely not good when services are already so overstretched for those already living here. I really do think that with the col crisis, etc, that we need to prioritise those that are already living or settled here and close borders to new migrants for the time being.

I don't think we are going to far, in fact I think we could go a lot further. And I have no issue with them staying somewhere nice. Why not? They deserve some comfort.

However I don't think it's reasonable for a village of 500 people to suddenly have another 400. Cities of many thousands have the capability to absorb an extra few hundred people, villages of a few hundred don't. It's just not practical.

@Kabalagala

”Why would you assume that the risk is from other asylum seekers rather than the human traffickers?”

I would assume there is risk from both groups based on the fact the majority are male, we have no idea who they are and if they are genuine or not, or criminals etc etc.

You only have to look at the stats for domestic abuse/violence in the uk (which are shocking and predominantly perpetrated by men) to realise that the last thing the women of the uk need right now are hundreds/thousands of unaccompanied men being shipped into their area with nothing to do all day.

I would be much more sympathetic if it was women or families

Do the government pay the going rate for the room?

Do the hotels also book paying guests as well?

Yes leaving the EU worked out really well, may as well go all in and close the borders for an even better result, that’s sure to save the economy

It could be a deterent if they thought they weren't going to get the benefits they are expecting to get.

My comment stands, france isn't unsafe to people who are meant to be there. Seek asylum in france if you are an asylum seeker, there's no reason to travel to calais, none. My rele worked in immigration in Dover, I understand what's going on and a lot of this is economic migrants. Not our problem.

They hardly get any benefits. They get given what can hardly even be called the bare minimum. Giving them less would most likely be a human rights violation

Beware thanks, I was wondering if it's more traffickers or authorities.

A local hotel in a very posh village close to where I live is being set up to receive asylum seekers. Couples have had their weddings cancelled at short notice. Seems to be happening all over the place.

Asylum seekers in hotels get £8 a week. I know!! I’d also risk death for that massive amount!

Our public services are underfunded, our infrastructure can't cope with the people already living here.

It takes weeks to see a GP and over a year for an urgent gynaecology or cardiac referral to our local hospital. Schools are full and under immense pressure, as are prisons, housing lists, dentists, etc, etc.
We cannot support the people already living here so we should not be making these issues worse by taking in more migrants/asylum seekers.

We just don't have the room. We need to concentrate on improving the lives of those that are already here.
Investing in housing and all other infrastructure and improving councils (even just managing funds better would be a start) and so that down the line we can open up our borders again.

My comment stands, france isn't unsafe to people who are meant to be there.

And when the French authorities treat them like they’re not meant to be there by not processing their asylum claims and leaving them homeless, with no jobs and no money it becomes unsafe.

And the people from Afghanistan who are crossing by boat as the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme hasn’t relocated anyone and they are in danger in Afghanistan - why should they stay in Germany or France? They worked with the British embassy and British organisations in Afghanistan. They were promised safety here, and let down.

That is not true. At the special school for complex needs my family member works at there is a girl from Syria with highly complex physical and learning disabilities who was brought to the UK with her family under the govt scheme from a refugee camp in neighbouring country.

The government can afford to fund those services it just chooses not to. They could also process claims faster and more efficiently so that desperate, expensive, measures like renting out entire hotels wouldn’t be necessary, but again that is a choice they have deliberately made.

I don’t understand how people think closing the borders will help the country, immigration really helps out the country. It would probably also mean a lot of countries closing their borders to us as well

@Babyroobs same happened to our local hotels. One is The Daresbury hotel, guests turned up only to be turned away. Weddings cancelled at very short notice too

2/3 years this has been going on for

This helps no one and can't be good for those coming over here to realise the shit this country is in and how badly things are being run here... I'm all for the EU, but that isn't what my post was about. Just common sense. This country has been run into the ground over the last 30 years and we can't look after the people we already have here..I don't know the answer, but I don't think it helps to keep adding more and more people to the mix, as we already can't cope with what we currently have.

I did lol at that but it is more

www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get

No, they get £40 pw if they're in self-catering accommodation but they only get £8-something if they're in a hotel.

Asylum seekers in hotels get £8 a week. I know!! I’d also risk death for that massive amount!

There are a lot of British people who would like 8 Pounds left for themselves after heating, hot water and three meals a day.

I agree that claims should be processed quickly and claiments allowed to work whilst they're waiting, but that doesn't change the fact we don't have enough housing or GPs or hospital beds, etc.

@GreenTeaPingPong There’s the Ukraine scheme, Hong Kong, and the Syrian resettlement programme (although I think that ended in 2020 though it would be good if it’s still open!) and a couple of different Afghan resettlement schemes, one of which has only taken 4 people and one earlier one that’s been more successful. There’s also UNHCR resettlement which is very small numbers comparatively, and family reunification which is difficult to have a successful outcome with.

That’s your lot, as far as I’m aware but let me know if I’ve missed anything.