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For centuries, our United Kingdom has had a proud history of welcoming people from overseas, including many fleeing persecution.

My own great-grandfather came from Turkey in fear of his life, because our country offered sanctuary for his outspoken journalism.

And when you look back over the centuries as people have come seeking refuge or simply in search of somewhere to build a better life, you see this is the very stuff our history is made of.

From the French Huguenots, to the Jewish refugees from Tsarist Russia, to the docking of the Empire Windrush,to the South Asians fleeing East Africa, to the many, many others who have come from different countries at different times for different reasons, all have wanted to be here because our United Kingdom is a beacon of openness and generosity, and all in turn have contributed magnificently to the amazing story of the UK.

Today that proud history of safe and legal migration is ultimately responsible for many of those working in our hospitals and on the front line of our response to the pandemic, for more than 60 per cent of the England football team at the final of Euro 2020, for many of our countrys leading figures in the worlds of business, art and culture,and, Im pleased to say, for ever growing numbers of people serving in public life, including colleagues of minelike Nadhim Zahawi who escaped with his family from Saddam Husseins Iraq, Dominic Raab, whose Jewish father came to Britain from Czechoslovakia to escape Nazi Germany, and Priti Patel, whose family fled persecution in Uganda.

So Im proud that this government has continued the great British tradition of providing sanctuary to those in need,in fact, doing more to resettle vulnerable people in the UK through safe and legal routes than any other government in recent history.

Since 2015 we have offered a place to over 185,000 men, women and children seeking refuge,more than the entire population of Sunderland and more than any other similar resettlement schemes in Europe.

This includes almost 100,000 British Nationals Overseas threatened by draconian security laws in Hong Kong,20,000 through our Syrian scheme, 13,000 from Afghanistan and to whom we owe debts of honour, and around 50,000 Ukrainians.

And we are not only supporting British nationals and those settled in the UK to bring potentially hundreds of thousands of their extended family from Ukraine, we are also welcoming unlimited numbers of refugees from that conflict, as the British people open their homes, in one of the biggest movements of refugees to this country that we have ever known.

And as we work with local authorities and the devolved administrations to welcome those coming from Ukraine into our communities, we will also find accommodation across our whole United Kingdom for all those who have come here previously but who are currently in hotels, because it makes absolutely no sense for the taxpayer to foot those bills, running to almost 5 million a day, with the sum total of those we accommodate being concentrated in just a third of local authorities.

It is controlled immigration, through safe and legal routes, which enables us to make generous offers of sanctuarywhile managing the inevitable pressures on our public services such that we can give all those who come here the support they need to rebuild their lives, to integrate and to thrive.

But the quid pro quo for this generosity, is that we cannot sustain a parallel illegal system.

Our compassion may be infinite, but our capacity to help people is not.

We cant ask the British taxpayer to write a blank cheque to cover the costs of anyone who might want to come and live here.

Uncontrolled immigration creates unmanageable demands on our NHS and our welfare state, it overstretches our local schools, our housing and public transport, and creates unsustainable pressure to build on precious green spaces.

Nor is it fair on those who are seeking to come here legally, if others can just bypass the system.

Its a striking fact that around seven out of ten of those arriving in small boats last year were men under 40,paying people smugglers to queue jump and taking up our capacity to help genuine women and child refugees.

This is particularly perverse as those attempting crossings, are not directly fleeing imminent peril as is the intended purpose of our asylum system.

They have passed through manifestly safe countries, including many in Europe, where they could and should have claimed asylum.

It is this rank unfairness of a system that can be exploited by gangs, which risks eroding public support for the whole concept of asylum.

The British people voted several times to control our borders, not to close them, but to control them.

So just as Brexit allowed us to take back control of legal immigration by replacing free movement with our points-based system, we are also taking back control of illegal immigration, with a long-term plan for asylum in this country.

It is a plan that will ensure the UK has a world-leading asylum offer, providing generous protection to those directly fleeing the worst of humanity, by settling thousands of people every year through safe and legal routes.

And I emphasise this. So whether you are fleeing Putin or Assad, our aim is that you should not need to turn to the people smugglers or any other kind of illegal option.

But to deliver it, we must first ensure that the only route to asylum in the UK is a safe and legal one,and that those who try to jump the queue, or abuse our system, will find no automatic path to settlement in our country, but rather be swiftly and humanely removed to a safe third country or their country of origin.

And the most tragic of all forms of illegal migration, which we must end with this approach, is the barbaric trade in human misery conducted by the people smugglers in the Channel.

Before Christmas 27 people drowned, and in the weeks ahead there could be many more losing their lives at sea,and whose bodies may never be recovered.

Around 600 came across the Channel yesterday. In just a few weeks this could again reach a thousand a day.

I accept that these people whether 600 or one thousand are in search of a better life; the opportunities that the United Kingdom provides and the hope of a fresh start.

But it is these hopes those dreams that have been exploited.

These vile people smugglers are abusing the vulnerable and turning the Channel into a watery graveyard, with men, women and children, drowning in unseaworthy boats, and suffocating in refrigerated lorries.

And even if they do make it here, we know only too well some of the horrendous stories of exploitation over the years, from the nail bars of East London to the cockle beds of Morecambe Bay, as illegal migration makes people more vulnerable to the brutal abuse of ruthless gangs.

So we must halt this appalling trade and defeat the people smugglers.

That is why we are passing the Nationality and Borders Bill, which allows us for the first time to distinguish between people coming here legally and illegally, and for this distinction to affect how your asylum claim progressesand your status in the UK if that claim is successful.

It will enable us to issue visa penalties against those countries that refuse to accept returns of foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers.

It will clean up the abuse of our legal system, introducing a one-stop shop that will end the cycle of last minute and vexatious claims and appeals that so often thwart or delay removals.

And it will end the absurd practice of asylum-seeking adults claiming to be children to strengthen their claims and access better services.

Crucially it will also allow us to prosecute those who arrive illegally, with life sentences for anyone piloting the boats.And to identify, intercept and investigate these boats, from today the Royal Navy will take over operational command from Border Force in the Channel, taking primacy for our operational response at sea, in line with many of our international partners, with the aim that no boat makes it to the UK undetected.

This will be supported with 50 million of new funding for new boats, aerial surveillance and military personnel in addition to the existing taskforce of patrol vessels, Wildcat helicopters, search and rescue aircraft, drones and remotely piloted aircraft.

This will send a clear message to those piloting the boats: if you risk other peoples lives in the Channel, you risk spending your own life in prison.

People who do make it to the UK will be taken not to hotels at vast public expense, rather they will be housed in accommodation centres like those in Greece, with the first of these open shortly.

At the same time, we are expanding our immigration detention facilities, to assist with the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK.

We are investing over half a billion pounds in these efforts.

And this is on top of overhauling our arrivals infrastructure here in Kent, with new processing facilities now operational at Western Jet Foil and Manston.

But we need to go still further in breaking the business model of these gangs.

So from today, our new Migration and Economic Development Partnership will mean that anyone entering the UK illegally as well as those who have arrived illegally since January 1st may now be relocated to Rwanda.

This innovative approach driven our shared humanitarian impulse and made possible by Brexit freedoms will provide safe and legal routes for asylum, while disrupting the business model of the gangs, because it means that economic migrants taking advantage of the asylum system will not get to stay in the UK, while those in genuine need will be properly protected, including with access to legal services on arrival in Rwanda, and given the opportunity to build a new life in that dynamic country, supported by the funding we are providing.

The deal we have done is uncapped and Rwanda will have the capacity to resettle tens of thousands of people in the years ahead.

And lets be clear, Rwanda is one of the safest countries in the world, globally recognised for its record on welcoming and integrating migrants.

Later this year it will welcome leaders from across the Commonwealth, and before the pandemic, in 2018, the IMF said Rwanda was the worlds fourth fastest growing economy.

We are confident that our new Migration Partnership is fully compliant with our international legal obligations,but nevertheless we expect this will be challenged in the courts, and if this country is seen as a soft touch for illegal migration by some of our partners, it is precisely because we have such a formidable army of politically motivated lawyers who for years who have made it their business to thwart removals and frustrate the Government.

So I know that this system will not take effect overnight, but I promise that we will do whatever it takes to deliver this new approach, initially within the limits of the existing legal and constitutional frameworks, but also prepared to explore any and all further legal reforms which may be necessary.

Because this problem has bedevilled our country for too long and caused far too much human suffering and tragedy, and this is the government that refuses to duck the difficult decisions, this is the government that makes the big calls, and I profoundly believe there is simply no other option.

And I say to those who would criticise our plan today, we have a plan; what is your alternative?

I know there are some who believe we should just turn these boats back at sea.

But after much study and consultation including with Border Force, the police, national crime agency, military and maritime experts, to whom I pay tribute for all the incredible work that they do dealing with this problem as things stand its clear that there are extremely limited circumstances when you can safely do this in the English Channel.

And it doesnt help that this approach, I dont think, would be supported by our French partners, and relying solely on this course of action is simply not practical in my view.

I know there are others who would say that we should just negotiate a deal with France and the EU.

And we have made repeated and generous offers to our French friends and we will continue to press them and the EU for the comprehensive returns agreement that would solve this problem.

We remain grateful to the gendarmes on the beach, for the joint intelligence work and the co-operation that has stopped thousands of boats.

We would like to deepen that work and we continue to believe that a deal with France and the EU is in the national interest of all our countries.

But we must have our own framework for full sovereignty over our borders and we must find a way to stop these boats now, not lose thousands more lives while waiting for a deal that just doesnt exist.

And I know there will be a vocal minority who will think these measures are draconian and lacking in compassion.I simply dont agree.

There is no humanity or compassion in allowing desperate and innocent people to have their dreams of a better life exploited by ruthless gangs, as they are taken to their deaths in unseaworthy boats.

And there is no humanity or compassion in endlessly condemning the people smugglers, but then time and again ducking the big calls needed to break the business model of the gangs and stop these boats coming.

And there is no humanity or compassion in calling for unlimited safe and legal routes, offering the false hope of asylum in the UK to anyone who wants it, because that is just unsustainable.

There are currently 80 million displaced people in the world, many in failed States where governments cant meet their aspirations.

In an era of mobile connectivity they are a call or a text away from potentially being swept up in the tide of people smuggling.

The answer cannot be for the UK to become the haven for all of them.

That is a call for open borders by the back door, a political argument masquerading as a humanitarian policy.

Those in favour of this approach should be honest about it and argue for it openly.

We reject it, as the British people have consistently rejected it at the ballot box in favour of controlled immigration.

We simply cannot have a policy of saying anyone who wants to live here can do so.

Weve got to be able to control who comes into this country and the terms on which they remain.

And we must do this in the spirit of our history of providing refuge.

And in that way we can more than play our part in offering sanctuary to thousands fleeing persecution.

But then of course other countries must play their part too.

And that is what I think is most exciting about the partnership we have agreed with Rwanda today because we believe it will become a new international standard in addressing the challenges of global migration and people smuggling.

So I am grateful for Rwandas leadership and partnership and we stand ready to work with other nations on similar agreements, as well as wider reforms to the international asylum framework.

As I say, we will continue to work with our French friends to tackle the gangs, we will continue to lead co-operation with crime and intelligence partners across Europe, we will continue to seek a returns agreement with the EU or with France.

But in the meantime, and for the foreseeable future, we need this new approach.

The people smugglers are undermining confidence in our borders.

They are betraying all those who do the right thing, who try to come here legally through forms of migration or the safe and legal routes provided for refuge.

They are undermining the natural compassion and goodwill that people have towards refugees in this country.

And they are endangering human life day after day.

And though the way ahead will be hard, and though we can expect many challenges and many obstacles to be thrown up against this plan, I believe this plan is the right way forward, because the people smugglers must be stopped in order to save countless lives; and because tackling illegal migration is precisely the way to sustain a safe, legal and generous offer of sanctuary to those in need, that is in the very best traditions of this country and the values we stand for in the world.

Originally posted here:
PM speech on action to tackle illegal migration: 14 April 2022 - GOV.UK

With less than seven months until the midterm elections, Democrats face a number of major and mounting crises. Record-high inflation, soaring crime rates, the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and the shadow of President Bidens foreign policy failures in Afghanistan already have Democrats facing an uphill battle in November.

On top of that, recent developments surrounding another key issue immigration further threaten the Democratic Partys ability to retain its majority in Congress this year.

In a comprehensive and in-depthpieceforTheNew York Times, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Michael D. Shear and Eileen Sullivan detail the extent of the chaos and infighting inside the Biden White House over the administrations immigration policy, specifically with regard to the migrant crisis at the southern border.

Among other revelations in the article, in a heated exchange over the surge of migrants in March 2021, President Biden erupted at staffers. Sensing that some were attempting to evade responsibility for the issue, the president demanded: Who do I need to fire to fix this?

To be sure, this is not the first presidential administration that has been caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to tackling this complex problem. Past presidents from both parties have tried and failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Yet, the Biden administrations internal division and paralysis on immigration policy as detailed byTheNew York Timespiece is particularly noteworthy, as it is emblematic of this White Houses inability to effectively solve problems.

Put another way, when it comes to managing crises both domestic and international the Biden administration is hopelessly divided and beset by internal strife, and the immigration crisis is no exception.

As a result, the Biden administrations immigration policies have come under fire from both parties Republicans attack the administration for the migrant crisis at the southern border, while progressives accuse the administration of failing to prioritize human rights and not living up to campaign promises to permanently protect Dreamers.

Indeed, a recent Politico Morning Consultpollshows that, when it comes to handling immigration, voters trust Republicans (47 percent) over Democrats (38 percent) in Congress. Worse, just 27 percent of Independents trust Democrats more on the issue.

TheNew York Timespiece notes that one of the major policies implemented by President Trump, Title 42 which is designed to give the president power to prevent immigration in times of public health emergencies has proven to be highly contentious and problematic inside the Biden White House.

Last summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argued that Title 42 was no longer necessary, as the delta variant was already spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. Thus, preventing migrants and asylum seekers from entering the U.S. would not protect public health in a meaningful way.

The CDCs position was opposed by Bidens senior advisors, chief of staff Ron Klain and policy advisor Susan Rice, who feared that repealing Title 42 would worsen the migrant crisis at the border and become a political headache.

Even so, two weeks ago, the Biden administration announced that it would in fact end Title 42. Now, the Department of Homeland Security isreportedlypreparing for a worst-case scenario of up to 18,000 people trying to cross the border daily, a number that would surely overwhelm the already full border facilities.

While it remains to be seen whether COVID-19 infections will spike as a result, it is clear that the political consequences of repealing Title 42 will further complicate Democrats political prospects in this years midterms.

For one, voters will almost certainly be put off by the hypocrisy of the Biden administration repealing Title 42 while Democratic-led cities announce returns to mask mandates amid spikes in COVID-19 infections, as is the case inPhiladelphia.

Furthermore, if there is a surge at the border, as is expected, Republicans will be able to weaponize the issue against Democrats in the midterms. Rightly so, moderate Democrats in Washington, D.C. fear that appearing soft on illegal immigration will hurt their party politically.

AsThe New York Timespiece describes, Klain expressed concern that accusations about border chaos would grow worse, anger moderate voters, and potentially sink the party during 2022 midterms unless the administration found a way to deter illegal immigration.

Moreover, Democrats appearing soft on illegal immigration will allow Republicans to easily make the case to voters that Democrats are also soft on crime, especially as crime rates climb across the country.

Ultimately, the Biden administrations uneven and ineffective approach to immigration which mirrors their incompetence on issues like the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, crime and foreign policy is giving Republicans fresh ammo going into the midterms.

As Lanae Erickson of Third Way a centrist Democratic think tank told the Times: Republicans are trying to make the case that Democrats are the party of chaos.

Unless the Biden administration can turn things around and prove to voters that they are not the party of chaos but rather of progress and problem-solving Democrats are almost certain to be brought down by Republicans in 2022, 2024 and beyond.

Douglas E. Schoen is a political consultant who served as an adviser to former President Clinton and to the 2020 presidential campaign of Michael Bloomberg. He is the author of The End of Democracy? Russia and China on the Rise and America in Retreat.

Originally posted here:
Chaos, crisis and infighting threaten Democrats in 2022 - The Hill

While Mr. Biden won most of the Texas border in 2020, some towns there saw a shift to the political right. The region has been particularly hard-hit with the influx of migrants being released into local communities. Nonprofit organizations along the southwest border provide a significant amount of assistance, but the spike at times has been overwhelming for them as well.

Immigration and human rights advocates have said that the order turned out to be former President Donald J. Trumps most successful measure to limit the number of people getting asylum in the United States. Stephen Miller, the architect of Mr. Trumps restrictive immigration policies, tweeted on Wednesday that lifting the public health order would be one of historys most spectacular travesties and would open the floodgates on a biblical scale.

Mr. Bidens decision to leave the order in place for more than a year, after campaigning to restore compassion to the immigration system, raised doubts among immigration advocates about his commitment to doing so.

Even with the order in place, the Biden administration has allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants to face deportation proceedings, many of whom arrived in the country with young children. Reasons have varied from humanitarian exemptions to operational restrictions such as limited detention space. The United States cannot expel migrants from certain countries, including Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, because of diplomatic strains, and those migrants are making up a fast-growing number of new arrivals.

Since October, border officials have apprehended 900,000 undocumented migrants at the southwest border, according to the Homeland Security Department. In the 12 months before that, undocumented migrants were caught a record-breaking 1.7 million times. Among the reasons the department has cited for the increase are natural disasters, severe economic decline causing food and housing insecurity, crime, corruption, lack of education and health care, and the pandemic.

Some argue that the inconsistent enforcement of the public health rule and an absence of punishment for those caught crossing illegally is partly to blame for the high numbers. Homeland Security officials estimate that 30 percent of illegal crossings during the pandemic are repeat offenders.

The spike in illegal migration has at times overwhelmed border officials. To speed up the time it takes to process people into the country and avoid overcrowding in congregate settings, border officials have released some migrants into the country with incomplete paperwork and no court date, leaving migrants in limbo and creating new backups in the already-backlogged immigration court system. Immigrants wait an average of five years before their first court date.

Continue reading here:
C.D.C. to Lift Order Restricting Immigration During the Pandemic - The New York Times

A multi-agency operation targeted people involved in organised immigration crime over the past three months.

Cheshire Police worked with Border Force, Immigration, the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVLA) and the local authority during three two-day operations over three-months, which aimed to disrupt illegal immigration to the UK. The operations were conducted at Burtonwood services on the M62 on January 10 and 11, Poplars 2000 services on the M6 at Lymm on February 10 and 11 and again at Burtonwood services on March 22.

The operations included offering advice to HGV drivers on how to avoid becoming involved in the illegal movement of people. Cheshire Police said that those involved also checked drivers' hours were being adhered to, lorries were roadworthy and ensured those who had travelled illegally were brought to safety and dealt with appropriately and sensitively.

READ MORE: Coked up yob displaying 'severe lack of driving ability' led police on two high speed chases

A Cheshire Police spokesperson said that the operation resulted in:

148 HGVs stopped and checked for illegal immigrants. 11,200 in civil penalty fines recovered from hauliers having outstanding fines for previous clandestine found on their vehicles One Iranian clandestine surrendered to police at the scene and dealt with by Border force officers 96 fixed penalties issued for various offences totalling 18,750 in fines

DS Darren Wright said: These operations highlight the work we do 24/7 to disrupt criminals who use our road network to commit crime, and serves as a warning to criminals that we are out there policing the roads with our partners to disrupt illegal activity and make Cheshire a no go area for criminals.

He added: "Clandestine entry to the UK poses a significant risk of life to those who have been concealed in the vehicles and transported overseas to the UK and vice versa.

We recognise that many of the successful clandestine entry attempts involve road haulage vehicles due to the amount of hiding space in the vehicle, and the ease of movement in and out of the UK through legitimate and identified travel routes.

Organised crime groups also know this and exploit this method of movement in and out of the UK, and recruit complicit drivers to assist with the facilitation of illegal entry of people and goods.

Sadly, many of who successfully gain illegal entry into the UK often end up becoming victims of modern slavery offences. Many will become subjected to further criminal exploitation, so its important drivers play their part in protecting vulnerable people by understanding the risks and knowing how to keep themselves safe from these criminal gangs.

Link:
HGVs stopped at service stations to disrupt illegal immigration to the UK - Liverpool Echo

Austin, TX, 12 hours ago As the federal government prepares to end its application of Title 42 to expel illegal aliens, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) has called for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and asserted that Gov. Greg Abbott should shut down the border.

Texas ought to just flat out shut down the border. And Im looking at Governor Abbott right now when I say that. You shut down the border, governor, Roy said in a Newsmax appearance earlier this week.

You stand up to this president. Im tired of Texas taking a back seat to an administration screwing the people of Texas.

Proponents of more assertive border security measures have argued that the illegal immigration is an invasion that justifies a response under Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution.

The provision states, No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

In an interview with The Texan, Roy stated on Friday that its certainly hard to argue that our nation is not being invaded. He pointed to the operational control the cartels have over our border.

If your state, your community, your families that are all sharing that community, Texas, if youre being invaded, harmed, you have a right to do something about that, Roy asserted.

Thats why that constitutional provision exists. And the federal government is refusing to do its job. You cannot ignore your duty to secure the border of the United States and then say, sorry, thats federal law. You have no recourse. Thats just straight-up bulls.

Roy also called for all Republicans to take a position on whether Mayorkas should be impeached.

Abbott was calling for Mayorkas to be investigated by Congress as early as October when he assembled with nine other governors in Mission to call on the White House to do more to stop illegal immigration.

For the past year, Abbott has been leading a border security effort known as Operation Lone Star that received bipartisan support and funding from the Texas legislature during a regular session last year.

In a press release on Friday, the governors office indicated that since day one, Operation Lone Star has resulted in several state agencies arresting about 225,000 illegal aliens. Abbotts office also reported more than 13,000 criminal arrests, 10,400 felony charges, 3,500 seizures of weapons, $30 million worth of currency seizures, and the confiscation of 289 million lethal doses of fentanyl.

The governors office also stated that a portion of the state border wall is nearing completion in Starr County using 30-foot bollards, which were part of leftover supplies from the U.S. border wall that Texas obtained through a federal program.

Abbott promised last summer to arrest everybody coming across the border, but that promise never materialized. Operation Lone Star has focused on referring illegal aliens to federal agencies and prosecuting them in South Texas for crimes such as trespassing.

Roy argued that Abbott should stop treading lightly around federal court decisions and that Operation Lone Star is not getting the job done.

The bottom line is you cant win this prosecuting trespassing crimes, Roy told The Texan.

What would we do if we were a stand-alone sovereign nation? Thats what we should do. Muster your own force. Sit down at the river and turn people away, and if youre not willing to do that or if that doesnt go far enough, then shut down I-35 and tell the rest of the country to kiss our a until the border is secure.

The congressman clarified that he is not seeking to rattle somehow negatively about Abbott and he supports the governors efforts on border security and the state wall, but that Texas cannot wait for a Republican-controlled Congress or president to act on the border crisis.

Defending the state efforts, Rep. James White (R-Hillister) responded to some of Roys comments in a social media post by emphasizing that the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety are already taking action.

However, if they cross anyway and touch our soil, the current [attorney general], his former employer, has stated that we have no immigration authority, as per the last Senate Select Committee on Border Security, White tweeted, referring to a committee in the Texas Senate.

Original post:
Congressman Chip Roy Backs Impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas, Calls on Abbott to 'Shut Down the Border' - The Texan