So much misunderstanding on this thread - it has all been said before and again here but:
Asylum seekers are not illegal, they are pending their claim being processed.
The rights to claim asylum are under the UNCHR but also confirmed by U.K. case law , R v Uxbridge.
75% are still being granted within an ever tightened system.
We did promise Afghans who fought with us/translated for us safety - only some got here on the resettlement route in the absolute shitshow and aftermath of the fall of Kabul.
Main nations seeking asylum are from Eritrea, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia.
Traffickers and smugglers take passports to help ensure payment, often in loan form, pressure any family in the home country, maintain control.
One Big reason for the wait is the huge backlog allowed to build up under the Tories.
The spend in asylum seekers is around 0.4% of total government budget - less than their percentage spend on expenses.
The percentage spend of the RNLI saving people from small boats - not that it is even relevant to their remit is 1.2% - and this might be offset a bit by the big increase in donations when people complain about this issue - heartwarming.
The main money out of this itself goes to fat cat hotel owners not the asylum seekers, as there’s the backlog and a mess made forcing more accommodation to be needed, and ‘business’ people, often Tory friends saw an opening.
The government is in charge of immigration so even if there were no asylum seekers your local council would not be housing any more homeless - which is a more complex topic.
Think where you would feel most comfortable to reset up an entire life if fleeing the U.K. - would you stay in France when you speak the language in Australia? When you have relatives in Greece?
And no they’re not all just fit for care - many have other and high level qualifications that just need conversion to U.K. approved - the BMA for example is currently helping around 2,000 refugees convert medical qualifications.
Asylum seekers often ultimately bring net benefits to the U.K. including economically when allowed to work - the determination to get across the world in a precarious and dangerous way implies they will focus and succeed.
Despite all the above actually I would think basic decency means you don’t want to harm a particular section of humans under any circumstances- but would prefer to handle issues humanely. This is the society we all live in right now - let’s be a decent one for all our sakes.