Letter: Preventing illegal immigrants is better than deporting them
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.THE account you give of the killing, accidental though it was, of Joy Gardner ('Why did Joy Gardner die?', 8 August) creates a deep sense of shame that this could happen in Britain. Yet beyond the important question of police and Home Office action lies the issue of preventing illegal immigration.
No one knows how many thousands of illegal immigrants there are in Britain. There is a problem, and it is likely to get worse. So why does the Home Office not learn from its EC partners?
A Danish colleague told me that Denmark has few illegal immigrants. The reason is simple: without a CPR number (Personnummer) no one in Denmark can get a job or be paid, receive benefit, get medical attention, etc. Without this number it is difficult to stay long in Denmark. It achieves many of the desirable effects of an identity card.
Britain should examine ways of making illegal stay here virtually impossible. This done, we could sensibly relax our immigration controls at borders with other EC countries, and take a more compassionate view of humanitarian appeals.
Christopher Jackson MEP
Chairman, European Parliament Intergroup on Frontier Controls
Sevenoaks, Kent
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments