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Controlling Economic Immigration

Opposition to immigration normally involves some form of simplistic distinction between types of immigrant. Refugees good, bogus asylum seekers bad. Skilled white economic migrants good, black unskilled economic migrants bad. All of which is pretty unpleasant, xenophobic, and ignorant. The most telling indication of the bigotry of those opposed to economic immigration is, however, the way they choose to deal with the issue. Targeting the immigrant is inefficient and ineffective. It takes time and money to identify the correct person, and does little or nothing to discourage the next immigrant.

A far simpler, more effective plan would be to extend employment rights to everyone, regardless of their legal status. Give illegal immigrants the right to minimum pay, pensions, holidays, national insurance. In short, make them as expensive to hire as the equivalent British worker. Prosecute employers who fail to do so, imposing massive fines and even jail time for directors. Doing so would remove the incentive for companies to employ illegal immigrants, whose current cheapness and lack of rights fuels that whole section of the economy. Prosecuting companies that fail to ensure their staff have work permits would complete the process. Every chance to participate in our economy that is removed from migrants will necessarily lower economic migration.

So why is this not part of the policy of those politicians who profess such worry over immigration? Simply because they are not interested in protecting jobs or ensuring a fair deal for British workers, at least not if it means targeting middle class white men. Attacking economic migrants is merely a means to appeal to racist white voters who lack the intelligence to realise that such policies are doomed to failure. They are, in short, not one bit better than the blatant Paki-bashing long espoused by the BNP.

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