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UK Gov is once again exposed as not knowing number of unauthorised migrants resident in country. This tends to surface as a scandal every few years. Why? https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/17/home-office-has-no-idea-how-many-people-are-in-the-uk-illegally?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
UK control infrastructure - unlike other European systems - doesn’t involve systematic registration & ID checks. These approaches have been repeatedly rejected as cumbersome and illiberal.
Instead UK has traditionally relied on border control. But since 1980s has successively sought to outsource control through co-opting organisations that interact w migrants, and on whom they depend - transport carriers, employers, universities, health services, landlords, banks..
This means “control” is based on denying access to systems migrants depend on accessing - rather than state itself identifying & apprehending migrants through internal checks. So state doesn’t know how many are present, but hopes they are ‘deterred’ as life becomes intolerable.
Major risk of this approach is that people only come into contact with these systems late in their stay - and at a point their welfare is most dependent on accessing support. When they or their kids need health treatment or they need benefits or pension.
This is of course the tragedy of Windrush. Paradox is that systems front loading control end up being more humane - hostile environment means people often only come to attention of authorities once settled w families and in need of support.
Hostile environment seems to create worst of both worlds. State remains ignorant; migrants are apprehended at much later stage once integrated in UK.
We’ve analysed this through SIMs project @seeingimmigrant comparing UK, Germany and France since 1960s. With @mcslaven @emile_chabal Elisabeth Badenhoop & Sara Casella.
