To think the RNLI are 100% in the right

[SanFranBear]

I've just seen this story on the BBC news homepage where the RNLI are being accused of acting as a taxi service for migrants trying to enter the UK on small boats from Europe.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dejyg4l37o

The organisation and volunteers quite rightly have responded to say they make no apologies for saving lives at sea and that their work has no political motivation.

Damn straight - one of the volunteers further down the article explains the profound impact he feels of encountering people struggling in our waters.

It makes me wonder what critics of the service expect them to do - just sail away, leaving the people to die? Pick them up and cross the channel to dump them back 'where they came from'?

What is wrong with them? Where is their compassion? Regardless of your thoughts on immigration, this is so cold and inhuman....

Asylum applications in the UK hit a record high in 2024. Our updated briefing explores application numbers, grant rates, system costs, employment outcomes for people who came to the UK to seek asylum and much more.

Check it out 👉 https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migration-to-the-uk-asylum/

The Home Office is expected to start increasing the number of migrants living at a former RAF station by 50%.

It’s higher this year you know that right? How are people missing this.

Nobody is missing it, it's all over the news and MN

So why post 2024 when you know 2025 is higher still?

Overall immigration is down, a lot of people do seem to be missing that.

Last night there was an episode of Saving Lives at Sea on BBC2 and the RNLI lifeboat was saving people coming over on a small boat. My goodness it was so so upsetting, the crew of the RNLI boat were all in tears and said they have no problems doing it again and again. What is the option otherwise? The Channel full of bodies?

Would recommend watching it.

Because the year 2024 is finished, the numbers are known. That report has just come out today.

Tbf that’s why this thread was started. The BBC promoted the show with an out of date quote. Not news. How many shows do they do this for?

What we spend isn’t the same as what they get…lots goes on contracts with hotel owners locked in by the Tories with (often) their mates and associates.

If this is Labour for the next three or so years, no accountability for rising numbers and blaming others then I doubt they’ll last.

Refugees may be economically dependent on arrival, but that emphatically does not mean they remain so. There are increasing numbers of successful businesses started by immigrants which are now substantially supporting the economy by providing employment, paying taxes etc. Anyone who spends any time in the NHS's care becomes only too well aware that the system would collapse without immigrants. Whereas there are obviously very substantial numbers of UK nationals who will be dependent on benefits all their adult lives.

My comment had nothing to do with numbers. It was about the way the system was administered by the previous government and how that still ties some hands.

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/nca-works-with-bulgarian-partners-to-make-major-seizure-of-small-boats#:~:text=National%20Crime%20Agency%20officers%20have,smugglers%20in%20the%20English%20Channel.

If your husband was going into an unknown situation involving a dangerous journey and the real risk of drowning, tell me: would he take you and your children with him or would he assume the risk, go ahead, apply for asylum then bring you and your children over safely?

@MrsSkylerWhite yes it is pretty obvious that's how normal people might think but weirdly inconceivable to some on here.

@MrsSkylerWhite are you telling us that all those young men are husbands and fathers??

Our system is very hostile to asylum seekers. People are grilled to prove that they are from where they say they are from. A detailed account is taken very close to point of entry. Further into the legal process possibly 1 or 2 years later they receive an invite to an interview and then they are asked to recount it all again, account for gaps in history and prove that they are from where they say they are from. That could be detailing traditions, foods, songs, stories etc that are unique to the area they say they are from. It can be very difficult to prove and unfortunately yes sometimes they do get bad advice on the way and will hide things but often for genuine reasons. I remember hearing about two young men who said they were both 17 in order to be placed in a house together alone, but it later came out when they couldn't cope living independently that they were actually only 12 and had been told to lie or they'd be placed in care separately and they were absolutely terrified of being apart as they were all each other had left in the world. It makes the process longer and harder when people follow bad advice. The onus is on the person to prove they are legit, they are not given the benefit of the doubt.

You'll find similarities in stories which can be corroborated with other countries and the work happening globally to try to tackle the people smugglers and those who exploit vulnerable people in certain areas. So stories do start to make logical sense when you're hearing a lot of them from people coming along the same general route. Also many asylum seekers will be receiving support for trauma and will be designated specialist solicitors/guardians who are highly trained. So inaccuracies do flag.

@phobiaphobic I understand your worries around the costs, however, a lot of the countries people are coming from are countries the UK has destabilised for financial gain. We reap what we sow in that respect. I also think if asylum seekers were allowed to seek employment while waiting for status then that would alleviate the financial pressure. As I said earlier, it's expensive to smuggle someone out so more often than you'd realise people are educated and may have skills that could be utilised here but we don't have a system in place to convert qualifications. A guy I know personally was a paramedic in his country of origin, had years of experience and had to flee, got his status here after years of not being allowed to work and is now paying to put himself through training as a paramedic. Which he's already skilled in. There are obviously safeguards that need to be in place with this but there are absolutely ways we can allow asylum seekers to be contributing to the economy. I don't know a single asylum seeker/has refugee status who isn't working/ really keen to work or is in training or at least volunteering. It's a very long wait for status and it's very hard on mental health. That would also help with community integration because if you're an asylum seeker, you aren't allowed to work - who are you socialising with except others who speak your language and are free during the day? Our system creates these problems and then blames vulnerable people for them.

I support is stopping the boats, but the RNLI should not be assessing why someone is in danger in the sea and then making a decision whether to leave them or not. That is a very slippery slope.

@Lavender14from your post my understanding is the system for assessment relies on verbal evidence? The people tell their stories twice and there isn’t use of proof from their original location?

I get that would be hard anyway, but there is no checking from there, no character assessment, no way to know someone’s sexuality or who they are feeing from bae their description?

ETA I appreciate the time you’ve taken to say how it works

Fleeing from based..

Again, my original comment was to a poster who claimed that the reason people arrived with no documentation was because they were fleeing situation so dangerous they didn't have time to go and get it. Which is patently not the case in the planned situation you describe.

Even if they bring documentation, it can easily get lost/stolen along the route

It has been explained patiently over and over again why they don't have documentation.

And not everyone has a passport or other documentation. When you have to flee for your life isn’t a good time to try to apply for it/get copies etc.

There’s a very good piece on BBC WS from someone who used the system, explaining how they did it.

@Lavender14pp is interesting I wondered if it was based on just verbal assessment. It seems it is.