Britain | Definition of insanity

The British government is planning another crackdown on asylum-seekers

There are better ways to stop small boats crossing the English Channel

A migrant carries a child with smugglers behind him as he runs to board a smuggler's boat on the beach of Gravelines, near Dunkirk, northern France on October 12, 2022, in an attempt to cross the English Channel. - Since the beginning of the year, more than 33,500 people have already made the perilous crossing of the English Channel, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, where more than 400 commercial ships pass each day. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP) (Photo by SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images) — Image: Getty Images

Feb 8th 2023

Ali’s first experience of Britain was of kindness. A few miles from Dover the fishing boat he had taken from Dunkirk sprang a leak; along with several dozen fellow migrants he was rescued by the coastguard. On the shore, people were waiting with blankets. Nine months on, things are now looking pretty bleak for the 21-year-old Iranian. Living in an overcrowded hotel in Carlisle, he is unable to work or continue his education (beyond a brief weekly English class). He has no idea how his asylum application—made on the grounds that as a Christian in Iran he was threatened with persecution—is progressing.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “And still they come”