So what can in practical terms fully halt illegal immigration?

[Wellwhatnowbellaboo]

Reform has won by a landslide .... immigration is probably by the look of it the biggest issue. What can realistically without breaking laws be done to really halt this with a big impact ? What would Farage actually do ? Would and should we as a country break some laws to get this done and speak to what people really feel is an issue ? (Many countries do). This is not in labour's dna so I doubt anything will come if it now ... but if you've thought about it or you have solutions what are they ?
And if you are opposed- why and what's the answer ?

It’s not just illegal immigration, net immigration needs to come down to the 10s of thousands. The way to do it is remove the pull factors, no state benefits at all….at all. Including those already here. The only immigrants will the be those who can support themselves and will be net financial gain rather than a loss.

Detention centres, fingerprints. Deportation.
Any attempting to come back will be deported again until they get the message

Oh yeah - the weather is shite - agree with you there

This is true. Immigration overall is declining... Also we need to get real, Illegal immigration isn’t unique to the UK, it’s a consequence of being a rich, stable country. All wealthy developed countries have it.

The USA has about 10-11 million undocumented migrants. Even tightly controlled systems like Dubai rely on huge numbers of foreign workers, but still have overstaying and people with irregular status. Poorer countries like Chad or Niger do not have illegal immigration because people do not want to go there.

So, yes keep trying to manage it, try different approaches, improve enforcement, check with employers and landlords, maybe bring in id cards ( except we seem to hate that idea and can't have it both ways). Control illegal immigration as best you can, but don’t see it as the single issue. It is not. Look at everything, distribution of wealth, environment, productivity, inflation, wages, economic growth, an ageing population, social care.

Do not fall for a self serving party led by a charlatan who has displayed hard wired racist and antisemitic behaviour since childhood, who has previously used false immigration fear mongering as an emotive trigger issue to manipulate a national referendum. If a politician wants you to focus on one issue above all others, it’s likely you are being manipulated.

Farage and Reform display so many red flags it is overwhelming. These include financial mismanagement, anti environment policies, express lies and manipulation, even occasionally revealing a true agenda to dismantle the NHS, replacing it with private healthcare. These red flags are accompanied by an underlying constant of breaking rules in order to feather their own nest.

So- we have always had, and always will have, some irregular immigration because it is a direct consequence of wealth and success. It is flawed to attribute illegal immigration as a sole issue, it is not the root cause of anything and everything you don’t like. Yes keep trying a variety of practical steps but also see it for what it is, one issue that is an inevitable consequence of our world ranking.

Whatever the solution it will cost money & lots of it. People are anti illegal immigration but many are happy to benefit from the fact those immigrants work for cheap.

Objectively, the only solution is to go back into the EU and fully utilise the provision that allows return to the 1st safe (EU) country.

The reason for the small boats is Brexit. Traffickers know that people can't be easily sent back because we are outside the EU.

The irony is excruciating that one of the key architects of the Brexit disaster, Farage, is the one benefitting from the one of the problems it caused while Starmer, who has done more than anyone else to stop the boats, is the one being punished.

Farage won't be able to stop them either. Not without doing something illegal like trying to turn the boats back mid-channel and that will be challenged in the courts. But it won't matter, he will be provided with every get out and excuse under the sun by his supporters, both voters and billionaire press owners.

The problem for Labour is that it is understood to not be racist towards Muslims, unlike Reform, so people believe that they want illegal immigration because the boat people will vote Labour. Even if Farage can't stop the boats, the British MAGA will be content in the knowledge that he shares their racism and hatred of immigrants (apart from rich ones obviously).

How many already have family here? If they do, why aren’t they living with them rather than in hotels? Lots of HMO resulting if they do.
If there is family here, why add to it with more and more relations?
Many don’t speak English
They are likely to be unskilled low wage workers and likely to be a drain on the U.K. - We already have enough of our own! If they are doctors ,engineers etc they can apply legally.

They made it look like illegal immigration was out of control and the electorate fell for it; same thing happened in the US with Trump. “Small boats”: 6,416 people. Legal immigration: 893,000. Net migration: 200,000 in a country of 60 million. It’s preposterous and hilarious, but with an electorate that fell for the “Brexit will give the NHS £350 million a week” bus, I wasn’t expecting much more. Labour fell under the same felony-stupid idea as the US Democrats: that if they just explain enough how horrible the other side are, people won’t vote for them. People aren’t stupid, but they are desperate and that can lead to poor decision-making (occurs when feeling under pressure to make any decision). Many KNOW Trump is a psychopath and Farage is a narcissist, but they don’t care because they can’t afford gas and groceries and they’ll vote for any change at all. Psychology and politics are chockablock with “he’s a monster, but he’s our monster” throughout human history. I don’t blame anyone for that. I know how privileged I am to not be cold and hungry.

I also can’t put up any support for Labour when they act like they were just thrown in the deep end by the last GE - you had 14 fucking years in opposition to plan better than this!!!!

We voted to be excluded from the database that would allow us to know this....

We had a means to return migrants when we were in the EU, we voted to leave that treaty too.

Cross Channel migration is ALL on us, left the EU, weak employment laws, little enforcement of those we've got.

Migrants should have always been housed in remote disused Army barracks, with very quick turn around of claims.... had the Tories done this in 2020 instead of Hotels, we wouldn't be in this situation.

I can't blame them for wanting to come here if they have family here or if they speak english but to put their lives at risk when they are already in a safe country is crazy. I certainly do blame them for putting their childrens' lives at risk in boats though

If they are illegal, firms shouldn’t be employing them anyway!

No they are not. Anyone where has been found to be here illegally has no access to benefits, housing, work etc.
You are thinking of asylum seekers, who are not here illegally.

Of course they do. Did you not read about St Nicholas cathedral in Tehran getting hit in a US-Israeli air raid? They also managed to bomb one of the synagogues in Tehran.

I’m not sure if KSA has churches but every other Muslim majority country does because they have Christian minorities (often quite large minorities).

My parents were political asylum seekers to the UK before I was born. The first country they fled to on foot was under strict Islamic rule. From there they flew to East Germany, under soviet rule. From there, they flew to another country in Europe where they didn’t know the language before then flying to the UK and claiming asylum.

Their lives were turned completely upside down by no fault of their own and they had to
leave their families behind, not knowing they wouldn’t see them for another 30 years. It’s not unreasonable that in the decision to flee, they chose to claim asylum in a country where they could speak the language and felt they could carry on with their careers and rebuild their lives rather than living in a country under Islamic or soviet rule or in a country where they knew nothing about the culture and language.

So I fully get why someone who is a genuine asylum seeker may not claim asylum in the first country they go to. Yes they are out of danger, but they also have a future to think about.

I’m here legally and I don’t even qualify for benefits! And I’m in Scotland which is a hell of a lot of “softer” about benefits than England.

👏🏻

A lot do many countries have far more asylum seekers than the uk

What do other countries successfully do?

I think the first thing to make law is; if you come here illegally, you will be deported back to your own country, or if that’s too dangerous, a third safe country. End of. This will be done within 30 days.

Secondly, an amnesty. You’ve got 30 days to present yourself to the police station, and you’ll be granted a visa to stay. Any one found illegal after this will be deported. You can’t bring anyone here except a spouse or child.

Whether you are a legal or illegal migrant, you are not entitled to any benefits except minimum basic living for illegals the 30 days of processing.

They do need to get a grip on illegal immigration. If they stopped it abruptly the country wouldn’t feel the need to vote Reform. They’d suck up the rest of the problems as deep down they just know we are a declining empire.

Imagine the level of fear you must have for yours and your children’s lives if the safest option is to get in a boat.

Because international law allows them to seek asylum in ANY safe country. 'First safe country' is an internal EU rule which has no relevance to the UK.

So within your plan how would someone seek asylum in the UK?

Those who call themselves asylum seekers, their identities and pasts unknown to the authorities here, ARE fed, clothed, accommodated etc . You know that full well. Even government ministers call them illegals! Those who are still here after their visas have expired should be deported.That is a different matter.

No this is incorrect

Organise faster processing. That’s really the issue.

France would be more than happy for the UK to open an office in Calais wheere people could apply for asylum in the UK.

It would immediately end all the boat crossings but will never happen because it would result in more asylum claims.