{"id":452,"date":"2007-05-08T12:49:00","date_gmt":"2007-05-08T11:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"\/2007\/05\/08\/this_would_only\/"},"modified":"2007-05-08T12:49:00","modified_gmt":"2007-05-08T11:49:00","slug":"this_would_only","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.migrationwatchuk.org\/news\/2007\/05\/08\/this_would_only\/","title":{"rendered":"‘This would only make a bad situation worse’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commentary<\/span>
By Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK<\/a>
The Daily Telegraph<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Welcome to Great Britain – the softest touch in the world. That is the
\nmessage sent out by yesterday’s demonstration in Trafalgar Square. It
\nmay have been well intentioned – but it was also deeply misguided. <\/p>\n

The
\nimmigration lobby, together with some church leaders are proposing that
\nillegal immigrants who have been here for four or more years should be
\nadmitted to a " two year pathway" to full legal rights. This would
\nentitle them to access to the welfare state and citizenship eventually.
\nThey could also bring over their families. <\/p>\n

This is an amnesty in all but name. <\/p>\n

There
\nare somewhere between 500,000 and a million illegal immigrants here.
\nSome arrived on the back of a truck, some overstayed their visas.
\nOthers are failed asylum seekers the Government has failed to remove.
\nMany are being exploited by their employers. The Chinese cockle pickers
\ndrowned in Morecambe Bay are the most obvious example. <\/p>\n

This
\nhidden labour force holds down wages for all unskilled workers and
\nenables unscrupulous employers to undercut honest ones. It also damages
\nthe reputation of legal immigrants. <\/p>\n

An amnesty will be
\npointless if those who are legalised are simply replaced. Some 70 per
\ncent of illegal immigrants are brought here by people-smugglers who
\nwill be the first to spot a new market. <\/p>\n

Others will be tempted
\nto overstay on visitor or student visas to work at less than the
\nminimum wage but for more than they could earn at home. <\/p>\n

Even
\nnow migrants are lining up in Sangatte for an opportunity to get to
\nBritain. The prospect of an amnesty will attract even more. Italy and
\nSpain have each granted five or six amnesties in the last 20 years and
\nalmost every time have faced even more applications. <\/p>\n

An
\namnesty would be expensive for the tax payer. The immigration lobby is
\nclaiming a net gain to the Exchequer of between \u00a3500 million to \u00a31
\nbillion. This takes no account of the extra cost of adding 500,000
\npeople to the welfare state. <\/p>\n

More immediate is the effect on
\nhousing. Once granted Leave to Remain, these migrants will become
\nentitled to social housing. As single people they would join a waiting
\nlist. If their families arrived they would move up the priority list. <\/p>\n

There
\nis already a sense of unfairness among the indigenous working class.
\nThey feel that they have paid into the system for many years while new
\narrivals immediately claim benefits. Indeed, 76 per cent of the public
\noppose an amnesty. The Government ignores such strong feelings at its
\nperil. <\/p>\n

So what is the alternative? First, we must restore
\ncontrol of our borders, including checking people in and out by name.
\nThis is now planned but it will be years before it is in place. <\/p>\n

Second,
\nwe need to bear down on employers of illegal workers. The Government
\nhas spoken of heavy fines, the use of the Proceeds of Crime Act and
\nprison sentences for company directors. <\/p>\n

However, in the last
\nfive years there has been only a handful of successful prosecutions.
\nEven now there are only about a dozen officials devoted to this task. <\/p>\n

The
\nthird step is to permit illegal immigrants to leave Britain without
\nrisk of arrest. Some have been imprisoned after being arrested for an
\nimmigration offence on their way out. <\/p>\n

A departure amnesty
\nwould make sense, especially combined with tighter regulation of the
\njob market and restricting access to our education, health and welfare
\nstate. <\/p>\n

The prospect of an amnesty will only retain the
\nillegals we have and attract more. It will shift the exploitation to
\nanother group of victims and will perpetuate the undercutting of honest
\nemployers and workers. In reality, it is foolishness. It would make a
\nbad situation worse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CommentaryBy Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UKThe Daily Telegraph Welcome to Great Britain – the softest touch in the world. That is the message sent out by yesterday’s demonstration in Trafalgar Square. It may have been well intentioned – but it was also deeply misguided. 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