Actually Pro Immigration- Hear Me Out?

[n4mech4ng3r]

I have always been, and will always be, pro immigrant, pro asylum seeker, and pro refugee. It saddens me that I seem to be in the vast minority these days, the lack of empathy from the general population of the UK in 2025 is disgraceful imo.

I chose as part of my career to support refugees, and it has opened my eyes even more every day. The tragedies these young people have gone through are unimaginable for anyone here, and the treatment they get when they arrive is appalling.

When illegal immigration is brought up in a political context, it is always devoid of humanity, vulnerable people spoken about like an invasive species. I implore anyone so far removed from the realities of ‘illegal’ immigrants, especially those who risked their lives to be here, to volunteer for a refugee charity.

These are children, overjoyed to learn simple words so they can make friends with our children in the playground. Teenagers, completely overwhelmed by food they’ve never seen before (like fish fingers!). Young families, so grateful to a country that wants them to ‘go back to where they come from’ even if they die there.

It’s heartbreaking, and it makes me sick. Every time I see the Reform lot, racists, and other bigots treating immigrants as the scapegoat, I can’t help but think of my little students, their families, and the stories they’ve told me of life before they arrived.

It baffles me how people can go on about ‘British values’ while showing absolutely no kindness to the people who need it most. What’s the point of this national pride if it’s built on cruelty and exclusion? I see so much ‘we need to look after our own first’ rhetoric, but why can’t we do both? Why does helping people fleeing war and persecution make you angry? Why is that your line in the sand?

If anyone else is feeling like this, works in this area, or has something to add I’d love to hear it. If you’re going to try and change my opinion, please save your energy ❤️

Changed my username for this one because I’m discussing my professional life and opinions rather than my family life. Long time user over several accounts. Thanks for reading, sorry if it’s a rant.

Do you want a medal?

Well said.

Nope, I just want to see more empathy and less hate.

You’re confusing a different point of view to hate. Most people I know don’t hate refugees, but they do have concerns about young men from cultures that don’t respect women coming into this country from France with no checks.
Why take the risky crossing to England when they’re already in a safe country? It’s an economic decision these people are taking when they cross the channel, and I can understand why there is growing discontent with the situation in the UK.

Of course they have sad stories to tell. The countries they come from are absolutely disgusting and there lies the problem. Instead of everybody escaping to places that have no respect for each other's cultures, the focus should be in improving the disgusting environments they escaped from.

Agree with every word, there but for the grace of God (substitute whatever higher power or just CHANCE), go I. The accident of birth somewhere you're supported and safe is lost on so many people. I worked with refugees and asylum seekers for years and their enthusiasm and hope was infectious, even though often their stories and backgrounds were unimaginable. Or course the logistics and outliers exist, but we're all human and trying to live the best life we can buy any means.

Where is YOUR line in the sand OP?
How many thousands do we let sail in illegally before we actually do something?
If you’d take everyone then that is surely unsustainable?

We ask a lot from small towns that take migrants.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/a50f9e62-55d0-4bae-b22a-78d95315a135?shareToken=44e8d885d103592913418003a5b9ad76

I agree with everything you’ve said OP.

On one hand I do completely agree with your sentiment. On the other, I worry about our NHS - it’s on its knees trying to cater for the amount of people in the country. We always blame the elderly living longer with health conditions common in old age but people who are born here and might live, say, 10 years longer (and that’s being generous) does not increase the amount of people by 3.07 million in the last decade. UK born and bred are usually not having large families anymore so it’s not that. How can our infrastructures cope and at what cost? And that’s not even thinking about the amount of countryside that is being eaten up by new houses. And, as someone said above, some peoples cultures just do not integrate with a western society - the fact that men from certain cultures think it’s okay to have sex with a child.

I would like to offer sanctuary to every single woman and girl in Afghanistan.
Same for Iran
Same for Syria and countless other places
We can't. So somewhere there has to be a policy, but I think the policy should favour women who are in fascist, misogynistic regimes.

In addition, police have issued a warning to women and children not to go out on their own near Chatsworth house, Derbyshire where immigrants are being housed!
and before anyone says “well, white men can be paedophiles etc” yes but it’s not considered “normal” in our culture to have sex with or marry a girl as soon as she is menstruating.

Maybe, if they really are desperate women and children. Not men with criminal histories. The fact they’re doing it illegally kinda tells you something. Refugees are a separate matter. I’m a legal immigrant. If you are welcomed by a country you respect its rules.

So no. It’s not as simple as a free for all. As someone from a place whose culture is being wiped out, i can see the damage that can be done with uncontrolled immigration.

Having worked for the home office in asylum and immigration ( a long time ago) I’m afraid this is staggeringly naive.
Yes many people are coming from difficult countries.
Also they routinely destroy their identity and travel documents, don’t claim refuge in the first safe country they come to - a condition of the rules/law for getting refugee status
Most of those who arrive are from well to do (comparably) families because of the costs involved in sending them away.
I witnessed personally (as a young women in her 20s) the lack of respect for women - in interview someone burped in my face. And the interpreters would express their annoyance at the rudeness i experienced.
Unfortunately as time goes on it’s clear that there is a lack of interest to integrate into ‘British values’
I could go on.

I live locally and I haven't seen any warnings. Care to share a link.

Please see it from the other side.
Your “empathy” is seen as naivety and your “hate” is actually concern for the current local population. Address these concerns and we might all get somewhere. I believe both sides are decent people, one is more idealistic and the other more from the school of hard knocks

OP prefers her naive dreams and tunnel vision of empathy to the reality the rest of us have to live in.

Any thought for the girls abused and raped by migrants or refugees, the setback it is for women, communities, democracy, religious freedom or we gonna focus on the fish fingers?

Men in this culture don’t respect women, there are men in every culture that don’t respect women. That’s a men problem.

France doesn’t feel like a safe country for a lot of Muslims specifically, Islamophobia is common (and even written into law) even though France has a large Muslim immigrant population. I fear the UK is going the same way.

When you say economic decision I assume you mean those needing to feed their children and aging parents or those that have disabled or sick children that need medical care that they can’t dream of affording elsewhere. These are the people I see. Nobody gives up their life and home to get the benefits of living in this country on a whim, it’s out of necessity.

OP you're clearly working with a very different group of refugees to the almost exclusively male economic migrants that are causing specific issues that people have an issue with. It's easy to tell people to have empathy and be kind when it exonerates you from having to have any empathy for their point of view. But you're being just as guilty of seeing refugees as a homogeneous group of identical people as those with the opposite point of view. You're even making up stories about them here. Your stories make them saints where others' stories condemn them.
Surely you can see that?
Did you do a degree that involved any critical thinking at all?

I’m interested if you’ll answer this op. Do you feel we should say yes to everyone who needs or wants to be here? And how do we do that practically

This is not a very well thought out argument. What can you Pinkglitter12, personally, do to improve the country you live in? A country, I assume, without poverty, famine, war, unrest etc. You, like all of us in relatively safe countries, are very privileged.

I do find it quite distasteful that you’d describe another country as disgusting also, do you think you could give an example of one of these ‘disgusting’ countries?

Absolutely, some of the strongest and most wonderful people I have ever met have been through the unimaginable. It’s work that changes you for the better.

Thanks for your reply! ❤️

Everything in moderation.

I was in my town today and every single bench was filled with “these great from men overseas” staring at every person walking past, no one else would be able to sit down, they were all sat on the backs of the benches feet on the seats, stood around cash machines. It’s probably intimidating to young groups walking past. I was on the bus last week two sat on the bus with their shoes off, slouching, one was sleeping. It’s weird and uncomfortable and totally inappropriate. And I’m sick of it at this point. I won’t be going into that part of my town again. While I do feel for the families and children all I see are grown men sitting round doing absolutely nothing except making others feel uncomfortable.

How is France not a safe country for Muslims, OP? By safe, do you mean their lives are in danger?