Our border in France., What's wrong with having it in UK? Options

[On the edge]

Lots of debate recently about our border. It seems we have an agreement with the French a Government that our border control can actually be in their Country. A bit odd that, to say the least, why shouldn't these controls be in the UK? As things exist, we are expecting the French to do the real job for us. Why should they?

Particularly with a no vote, surely we want the border in our own jurisdiction. Then any passenger coming through the gate without the necessary paperwork is simply turned back. That's how it works in many other Countries, why not here?

[spartacus]

Australia doesn't have the same ratio of Guardian readers and do-gooders or lawyers taking on Legal Aid cases as this island.... Hence once they get through the tunnel getting rid of them will take years and cost us a fortune....

[Simon Kirby]

Australia doesn't have the same ratio of Guardian readers and do-gooders or lawyers taking on Legal Aid cases as this island.... Hence once they get through the tunnel getting rid of them will take years and cost us a fortune....

I don't actually read the Grauniad but I guess you'd include me in that: Personally I think the injustice is the very thing you complain about - the time. It is monstrously unjust to keep someone hanging around for so long dithering about whether they can stay or not. The Home Office is quite hopeless in this area, and has been for years - it shouldn't take more than a couple of days to decide whether someone can be granted asylum, and if they're not then ship them off straight away. Obviously the process has to be fair an compassionate, and it is in the nature of people fleeing tyranny that they're not necessarily going to have all of their papers in order, but locking them up in a detention centre for six months is not going to help out find out what you can't easily find out in a couple of days, so the answer has to be to presume good faith and grant asylum to anyone fleeing terror.

Obviously, it would also help if the UK could work with the rest of Europe to bring peace, stability, and economic prosperity to the places of the world where terror reigns, because our lust for regional influence over the last 500 years has created so much of the suffering and instability that is driving people from their homes in the first place.

[blackdog]

I don't actually read the Grauniad but I guess you'd include me in that: Personally I think the injustice is the very thing you complain about - the time. It is monstrously unjust to keep someone hanging around for so long dithering about whether they can stay or not. The Home Office is quite hopeless in this area, and has been for years - it shouldn't take more than a couple of days to decide whether someone can be granted asylum, and if they're not then ship them off straight away. Obviously the process has to be fair an compassionate, and it is in the nature of people fleeing tyranny that they're not necessarily going to have all of their papers in order, but locking them up in a detention centre for six months is not going to help out find out what you can't easily find out in a couple of days, so the answer has to be to presume good faith and grant asylum to anyone fleeing terror.

The issue with a great many illegal immigrants is that they have no papers - nothing to prove where they are from. Which makes it impossible to determine whether they risk persecution if they are sent home - because it is not possible to say where their home is.

For this reason many illegal immigrants destroy their papers making deportation almost impossible.

[Simon Kirby]

The issue with a great many illegal immigrants is that they have no papers - nothing to prove where they are from. Which makes it impossible to determine whether they risk persecution if they are sent home - because it is not possible to say where their home is.

For this reason many illegal immigrants destroy their papers making deportation almost impossible.

Yes, sure, it's inevitable that if you're fleeing tyranny that you won't necessarily have your papers, and nor is it practical to ask the country you're fleeing to vouch for who you are, so the only civilised answer is to grant them asylum - it's really not that complicated.

[Turin Machine]

Yes, sure, it's inevitable that if you're fleeing tyranny that you won't necessarily have your papers, and nor is it practical to ask the country you're fleeing to vouch for who you are, so the only civilised answer is to grant them asylum - it's really not that complicated.

To me, and I'm not alone in this, the view that we should let em all in is as dangerous as it is financially suicidal. Most of these people are coming from Syria, a very great many of them are young Muslim men coming from a country ravaged by Isis. Its not just me who suspects that the easiest way to get fanatical Jihadist killers comfortably ensconced into the heart of the hated Western society is to simply mix them into the genuine asylum seekers. Now that's not complicated either! Of course we need to know who we are extending our hands to, before we get them bitten off.

Oh and if your prepared enough to bring iPhones and iPods with you (as evidenced by scenes on the telly!) I'm sure that the genuine ones will find time to pick up their papers, c'nest pas?