AIBU to be deeply concerned about the recent influx of 30k+ undocumented arrivals in Spain?

[ChirpyUmberBiscuit]

AIBU to feel really unsettled by the recent news coming out of Spain and Ceuta? Reports are showing that tens of thousands of undocumented migrants have crossed over in such a short window, completely overwhelming local infrastructure, reception centers, and security forces.

I know migration is always a sensitive and compassionate topic, but looking at these numbers practically, I don't see how any European border region can absorb 30,000 to 50,000 arrivals almost overnight without severe strain on public resources, local housing, and emergency services.

What worries me even more is the precedent it sets for the rest of Europe and the UK down the line. Surely there has to be a firm balance between humanitarian support and actual, enforceable border control?

Am I being completely unreasonable to view this as a serious policy and security crisis, or are others feeling equally concerned about where this leads?

Would love to hear honest thoughts on how this should actually be handled!

"it's easier to settle in England". I'm not going to risk drowning in the sea to escape France.

Well they certainly aren't slashing them or impounding them are they? {Despite what we (UK) are paying them.}

Try Tower Hamlets - Over one third of adults (35 per cent) in Tower Hamlets use a main language other than English. While the majority of this group are fluent in English, around one quarter said they could not speak English ‘well’ or
‘at all’ - a total of 18,311 residents. This is equivalent to 9 per cent of the borough’s adult population - the second highest proportion in England, after Newham.

Good for you but that's not the case everywhere. Don't the NHS in London use interpreters? We do in Bradford and the police and solicitors use them too. And they don't come cheap.

Yup it just shows how flawed the system is doesn’t it.

It is amazing that people are still trying to deny the issues with uncontrolled immigration, it’s simply absurd at this point. I don’t get the motivation.

"white people did bad things centuries ago"

"White man bad"

"Diversity is our strength"

Imagine if all the British started hating on the French because of William The Conqueror and the battle of Hastings in 1066 🤣🤣🤣

Well its been like that since the 80s when I lived there but of course the Tories slashed all the low cost English courses that helped particularly the women to learn.

Although the Moroccan young men have largely gone home, the people who have travelled further from sub-Saharan Africa are staying put in Ceuta. The Moroccans can go home to bed, but others will only hang around in Morocco waiting for another opportunity.

It is such a difficult problem as each country pushes migrants on, wanting them through and out of their country asap. The end of the line and the ultimate goal is the UK and Northern Europe.

However compassionate you may be, surely you can see that there is simply no way to accommodate, finance or even vaguely assimilate as many people from African/ME countries as expect to come to Europe.

Im not sure if you mean he pretended to be a child so he could join family here? Children who apply outside of the country to come to join family here are subject to huge scrutiny, they need proper documentation, they come via immigration and the Home Office, subject to various assessments so its not likely that someone saying they're the child of Mr and Mrs X aged 17 is really their grown up son aged 30

But some people come to the UK and arrive at ports via sea crossings and say they're 17 when they might be older, usually young people come into the care system with age disputed already by the Home Office and then age assessments have to be completed. They're not terriby reliable, easy to 'prove' and 'disprove'. Its not really easy to say 'he's not 17, he's 19'. Think about how many teens you could interview and say that about?

Yes we read about this at work.

We have had similar (not exactly the same) which are then easily overturned at appeal. Im expecting this to be the same. However, who knows, the courts are often surprising.

Do you work with asylum seekers?

The French are working flat out trying to control that situation and providing intelligence to the UK, there is a lot of joint working but not every crossing can be prevented. Huge numbers of crossings are thwarted.

That's sad but why do they need low cost courses do learn ? I assume they are on spousal working visas and they can afford their own English class ?

If they have succesfully claimed assluym then yes they should get help with classes.

I have.

In what context?

Im baffled quite honestly by some of the reasoning about earlier colonisation, young people being risk takers, reinvention of oneself etc

Many of the young people are utterly traumatised by the journey and the pressure they're under having come here, they havent come here to take some sort of life adventure like a middle class gap year traveller.

What relevance do you think colonisation has to decision making for families? Most are not au fait with their own country's history and current politics believe it or not, let alone ours.

I don’t know - obviously there was no information available, only that he was a recent arrival and had no parents with him. As I said, he was a pleasant young man but most certainly not school age by a long way. This wasn’t just my opinion!

It made for a strange situation since we had to treat him like a 17 year old. He moved on, or was moved on, after a few weeks.

I don't have the energy for an argument. The whole topic is extremely complex and emotionally charged. I surmise that some young people who were in Cuenta were risk takers.

I have talked to people seeking asylum who held England in high regard, misguided at best.
Its a worrying situation. Vulnerability and the sort of rage we see expressed in many places.

Yes very likely age disputed and therefore moved on to NAAS

Still doesn’t answer why you think colonisation is relevant. Maybe the English should start crossing the channel over to France because of the battle of Hastings in 1066. Absolutely no logic whatsoever and anyone spouting this daft ideology as an excuse for boat migrants to come to England needs to give their head a wobble!

Oh Cuenta, yes, different demographic to assylum seekers in the UK

Many are coming to the UK though because the UK is more tolerant, that is a fact for many African and ME people. No country is paved with gold, its not so much about that, but there is more equality here for peole who come here from abroad to the usual other European countries (Im talking generally obviously and from my experience of what asylum seekers have experienced)

And this is the issue - a lot of them are not “tolerant” of our culture or values yet they like that we are tolerant of them.
And while ever the lefty woke are calling concerned British citizens “racist”, they know they will have the likes of certain people on this thread, Antifa and stand up to racism who welcome them with open arms because they are “tolerant”.
It seems more of a manipulation tactic used by many boat migrants more than anything. You can’t claim to want to live in England and love England, then go raping and murdering its citizens. Obviously not all of them are doing this but it does seem a lot are saying the “right things” in order to get to stay here.

Common Nationalities: According to data from advocacy groups like Refugee Action, nearly two-thirds of the most common nationalities applying for asylum in the UK come from countries with colonial links or a history of British resource extraction and conflict.

I'm done.

And again, absolutely NOT AN EXCUSE TO CLAIM ASYLUM HERE! So defend it all you like. It’s not going to change my mind.