A compassionate but realistic immigration policy

For a long time, it has been clear that we do not need more immigration law. Indeed, many of us believe that we have too much law in this area already. What is needed is better enforcement of what we have. So I was glad to see this Lib Dem statement of a rational immigration policy.The BBC headlined the point about:

• Resettling 10,000 vulnerable refugees each year, and a further 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children from elsewhere in Europe over the next ten years.

but for me the key new point is:

• Investing in officers, training and technology

without which we cannot operate a fair immigration policy. Up until now, the understaffed and unintelligent agencies of the government have attempted to meet its insane targets by virtual blanket rejection of all asylum cases, resulting in costly reversals in court and hardship for those unable to access our justice system, and by expelling people who have set down roots in the community because they are easy to find. The people who cause the most anger in the electorate are too hard to trace by the current set-up.