What's your thoughts on asylum seekers?

[Lynds778]

I'm all for offering asylum to those genuinely in need but I've seen a lot of negative media recently around 'fake' asylum seekers; people pretending to be from war-torn countries etc to gain entry to the country. Also videos of men giving advice for future asylum seekers on where to say you're from so that you can get in.

Also seen a lot of uproar from local communities about asylum seekers behaving anti-socially, most recently hanging around outside a primary school in Deanshanger and it's got me worried.
I'm also wondering why the large majority of asylum seekers are men and there are less women and children?

So, what's your opinion?

Also, this isn't a racist post. I would have the exact same concerns if these were white asylum seekers from Germany for example. The worry is the system is being abused by some and that we are a bit too lax when it comes to documentation and monitoring of asylum seekers.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14058597/Fake-asylum-seekers-conning-way-Britain-telling-Home-Office-war-torn-Eritrea-bragging-thousands-followers-TikTok.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14185169/amp/Four-asylum-seekers-costing-taxpayer-estimated-160-000-year-living-575-000-luxury-home-accused-faking-Afghan-nationalities-UK.html

At least the government have control over legal immigration (in the sense that it's up to us how many visas we issue and to whom).

We can't really control how many men come over uninvited on boats to break into the country.

Yes I think so, although if previously welcoming countries push too hard on immigration within EU borders, then more asylum seekers will be heading to the UK.

"The conversation was about failed states and the reason people flee countries and seek asylum. I'm not going to go into the history of Western interference in the ME but needless to say, it's far worse off than it should be.

Where are you getting wholesale emigration from? How are the citizens of Afghanistan meant to overthrow the Taliban? They have no weapons, no outside help and can't form a resistance because they'll be killed."

@username299 - if the conversation was about failed states- why did you raise Afghanistan and the British military intervention and blame it for the Taliban coming into power?

Many people in many countries successfully overthrow their governments. The Taliban were able to take control of Afghanistan because there was very little resistance to them despite outside forces having trained and armed the previous afghan government for over a decade. Common sense would indicate that the British military intervention is not why the Taliban are in power- quite the opposite.

What the conversation was actually about was that many people in the world live in such difficult circumstances that they could potentially claim asylum. However in most cases as I said, the best and most practical way to improve lives is for people to remain in their home country.

Then get a visa like everyone else. Don't pay human traffickers money to smuggle you into a country uninvited.

Asylum seekers are seeking asylum because for whatever reason a visa isn’t possible. Do you not think they’d do that rather than be treated like shit for years if it was that easy?

That might or might not be true. But ultimately the uks taxes cannot support the whole world. It might be an accident of birth that uk born people have better opportunities than some others but if we let everyone move here without limit we would simply destroy the welfare state and public services. We need controlled immigration if we are to retain public services and our culture and society. It's our home - perhaps due to an accident of birth but it's still our home.

Do you mean anyone with a miserable life? Are you willing to share your house to make this happen?

"Asylum seekers are seeking asylum because for whatever reason a visa isn’t possible. Do you not think they’d do that rather than be treated like shit for years if it was that easy?"

@cardibach This equally applies to economic migrants who would not be eligible for a visa

@DearDarcy

• Do you genuinely believe the majority of boats arriving in this country are arriving here from war torn countries full of deprivation? If so, where are the elderly, where are the women and children? Surely to god if if was THAT bad they wouldn’t leave their dear families behind.
• Why are they not seeking asylum in France and nearing countries?
• Are you willing to take in the grown men that are arriving here every day into your homes? If not where do you suppose they are housed and who do you suppose pays the upkeep of all this?

1. i think people on the boats are also economic migrants who are here looking for a better life. The elderly and children cannot make the extremely dangerous journeys from the Middle East or Africa. You should read up on asylum routes. They often involve walking through inhospitable regions for days, dealing with dangerous people smugglers, crossing through dangerous countries and then the small boat journeys to Greece or Italy where many lives have been lost.
2. they do: Iran & Turkey have the most refugees. France actually receives more asylum claims than the UK. In my own personal experience, people will often want to make it to a particular country because they know someone who lives there.
3. I have not been able to do this in my tiny house. I have been lucky enough to meet many asylum seekers, refugees, illegal immigrants and other disadvantaged groups through volunteering. I think that the whole system needs an overhaul and we need to open up more legal routes to asylum where people can come from camps in the developing world to the EU and the UK in a more orderly fashion.

Due to poverty and failing public services, many people who are born here have a miserable life. Have you seen the state of some areas in the UK? Mouldy unsafe rented accommodation, no dentists, failing GP services, crime, drug abuse, anti social behavior, violence in schools, gangs, unaffordable housing, unable to afford heating.

As expected, no actual evidence or facts for any of your answers, just answered with personal thoughts and emotions.

I don't know what me ‘personally knowing any illegal immigrants’ has to do with anything, this is clearly your way of trying to have an ‘AHA, got you’ moment.

But I will enlighten you with 2 instances of many, just so hopefully you have some empathy.

• My husband’s van got broken into and all of his tools stolen, by a group of Albanian men who were here with no documentation and no ‘place of fixed abode’ - police involved and ongoing Costing around £18,000.
• My best friend of 15 years was groped and attacked by a group of 8 Syrian Men, again no I.D or house, police involved. Costing my friend serious PTSD. She doesn’t go out in the dark anymore.

I don’t personally need to ‘know one’ to know also that they personally cost me and you, the British tax payer (assuming that you are) :

• £8 million (probably more now as this is from 2023 data) A DAY housing them in hotels, happy to know the current data if anyone has it
• 7.5 million people on the NHS waiting lists
• ‘Unauthorised migrants’ are not allowed to work or get a mortgage etc, so what are they doing here quite frankly? Why are we paying for people who cannot contribute a penny to our society.

The list goes on …

Ah ok. So you personally will not house these people but you want them to come and for the rest of us to house and support them. Good to know

There are very few legal routes to seeking asylum. There is the rare program that will bring people over on a refugee program like we saw with Ukraine. But if you are in Iran for example and you fall foul of the government there is no legal route for you to leave Iran and claim. You will need to walk long and dangerous routes, climb fences, walk through rivers and then definitely pay smugglers at times . You only way out is through these irregular means and then you can claim asylum which is legal to do.

I can only go by those I have met. In my line of work I have cared for women and their families, who have come over from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Palestine. They are always respectful and grateful for the care they receive. Their stories are heartbreaking.

I entered a relationship with a asylum seeker and am still with him 9 years later and we are very happy he's a really lovely caring person he now has his stay here in the UK. I also met quite a few of his fellow asylum seeker friends and they came across as genuine decent people who where just trying to lead a better life.

They aren't choosing to control it though are they, despite consistent popular opinion that they should reduce it massively.

It's the clearest sign that our political system is broken when those who supposedly represent us act in total opposition to what the vast majority want.

We are also an island - we can fairly much totally control how many people come over uninvited, but again our government has opted not to do so (though admittedly the options here are far more extreme).

I'm sure that's true and that there are lots of lovely people all over the world, many of them living in less than lovely circumstances. I'd still rather they didn't come here though.

Because many people coming to the UK via small boats are fleeing the Taliban. Afghanistan is a failed state. The US and UK invaded and took over Afghanistan, then left it to the Taliban. The US negotiated with the Taliban before pulling out of the country.

A rudimentary knowledge of the history of the ME would enable you to understand foreign intervention that led to the rise of groups like the Taliban and the regime in Iran.

Your thinking is very simplistic. For example, you think that impoverished people with no weapons, no rule of law, no ability to form a resistance and no outside assistance can just overturn a highly trained and armed gorilla army. I'm guessing through will power alone.

In your opinion, the people of Iran, Syria or even Palestine are too lazy to fight back. They should all miraculously arm themselves and take on their governments despite having no way of doing so.

I'm also guessing that a well founded fear of persecution such as fleeing Assad's torture chambers or facing a death squad isn't a good excuse to leave. These people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make their country better.

@DearDarcy Are you willing to take in the grown men that are arriving here every day into your homes? If not where do you suppose they are housed and who do you suppose pays the upkeep of all this?

You might find this interesting :

Lots of NIMBYs around it seemed

So there's a war on in France?

First I heard about it 🙄

It must be very confusing for you but I'm happy to help. France was last invaded by the Germans in WW2. Did you think that the war was still good on? Are you in a bunker?

People fleeing Draconian regimes such as Iran and Afghanistan are paying people smugglers to take them into Europe. From France (which is at peace), they are boarding dinghies and making their way to the UK.

Once in the UK, they are claiming asylum. Please let me know if you need further clarification - you must be disoriented.

Oh dear, sarcasm is wasted on you isn't it?

😆😆

I'm so used to dumb ignorance that I tend to take it at face value. However I'm glad to hear you're aware WW2 has ended.

Not sure if it has been mentioned but an issue that is never brought up is that fact that the West interferes so much with countries in the South. Why? I have friends with amazing lives in certain European, African, Asian and South American countries - also many people are “asked”’ to come and leave decent lives behind - but the issues with development are always similar - although these counties are independent by title, many arnt free from western interference.

And so on that premise, places like the UK become a hub for people to migrate to.

I’ve worked with asylum seekers - you can’t generalise, but in general, most of the population are geared towards working and providing for their family. Even here in the UK, there are people that abuse the benefit system - but the small percentage of bad news will always take up more airtime than needed by press.

I assume asylum seekers are pretty much like everyone else. Some will be decent people who need help, some will be dickheads who are taking advantage and some will be something in between.