Immigration Controls Are Inherently Repressive - Essay Example

? Immigration, Migration, and Society Introduction Feminists in the field of political theory have complained of the exclusion of women concerns and participation from the arena of politics. Problems bedeviling women have further been compounded by the immigration controls that are more favorable to men than to women. These controls are applied in such fashions as to disfavor women on the basis of their gender (Cohen, 2001). Immigration controls are inherently repressive and are targeted at the denial of entry and restricting stay. The formation of the coalition government in the UK occasioned the change in the direction of the political debate concerning immigration. Moreover, immigration had become a problem in the United Kingdom because of the government’s failure to man its borders. This situation led to a mass influx of immigrants through the porous borders into the country. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of migrants from the new EU member countries. By the year 2010, immigrants from these countries stood at 20% while the other 80% accounted for immigrants from non-EU member countries (Cohen, 2001). In the UK, the responsibility of administering immigration control rests with the Home Department’s Secretary of State. The Secretary delegates most of the functions of this office to his subordinates. The controls enforced by these state officers are defined by the legislature and interpreted by the judiciary (Rosenblatt and Lewis, 1997). The Secretary of State is further expected to exercise some discretion while making his decisions related to immigration controls. Depending on the nature of the decision made, the concerned party can appeal against the decision via a judicial review or an independent appellate body (Rosenblatt and Lewis, 1997). The Operations of the Immigration Controls The immigration Act 1971 gives the guideline as pertaining those subject to the immigration control, functions, and authorities of the appellate bodies, and prescribes the penalties to be levied on those who breach the immigration control (Rosenblatt and Lewis, 1997). The Asylum procedures were tightened by the passing of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. The Act created new penalties to those who applied for asylum via fraudulent means. Further, the employers are required by the Act to employ persons with valid work permits only. Migrations are said to be caused by factors such as; desire to create wealth, escape from war or civil strife, and taking jobs abroad. Migrations are best described by push-pull factors. Factors such as civil strife will tend to push people away from their home countries, as better incomes pull them elsewhere. It is the prerogative of the receiving country to define the status of its visitors. The receiving government can label the visitors as, business travelers, tourists, asylum seekers, refugees, or immigrants. These groupings determine the rights and obligations of the titleholder (Agustin, 2006). Most of the illegal migrants who come into the United Kingdom fail to secure decent jobs. The immigrants leave their home countries with hopes of making a better living in the foreign country. The aspiration held by most of these entrants is that they will make enough money and maybe get back to their home countries. These hopes are quickly thwarted by the harsh realities they encounter in the receiving country. For instance in the United Kingdom, their illegal statuses deny them a chance to acquire requisite work permits. This then leads them to engage in dehumanizing trades to make a living. Some of these immigrants are forced into prostitution; a vice they had not intended to get into in the first place (Agustin, 2006). Immigrants engaged in selling sex face a myriad of hardships because of the lack of regulation and protection for practitioners in this trade. These sex workers are often times maltreated. Politic of Gender and Immigration control Immigration controls are notorious in disrupting family lives. The unequal immigration controls discriminate against women on the basis of their gender. Prior to 1985, immigration controls allowed male immigrants to be joined by their spouses while denying the same right to the female immigrants. The agitation by feminist groups for equal treatment of women did not lead to the increase in the rights of women. Rather, the agitation led to the application of the same entry restrictions on the men. This occasioned the abrupt end to the entitlement of citizenship by family unification. Women and children are usually the prime targets of expulsions from the receiving countries (Cohen, 2001). Women are poorly represented in the robust informal economy. They are mainly encountered in caring jobs, domestic services, and commercial sex. Scholars in the field of migration studies have given little attention to female immigrants working in the sex industry. These scholars purport that the domestic sector is the only employer for these female immigrants. However, scholars of the sex trade differ with this assumption. They estimate that the number of sex workers is equal to that of the domestic workers (Agustin, 2006). Girls and women constitute the largest proportion of the world’s immigrants. This is partly due to patrilocality, a practice under which brides migrate from their homes into their husbands’ abode. Policies aimed at structural adjustment of the developing countries such as that imposed by the IMF in 1970 has been blamed for massive job losses by the women (Agustin, 2006). These structural adjustments lead to job cuts particularly in the social sector in which most women are employed. Job losses have led the affected women to travel away from home in search of alternative sources of income. Countries like Sri Lanka and the Philippines arrange for their women to travel abroad for domestic work. The workers in turn, repatriate part of their earning back home country (Agustin, 2006). Politics of Sexuality and Immigration Control Immigration controls made it impossible for same-sex couples and singles to enter or stay in the United Kingdom. These controls have been viewed to be sexually discriminatory. The controls allow entry and stay to heterosexual couples while denying these rights to gays and lesbians. The demand by homosexuals for equal treatment on immigration matters has not increased their rights. However, the homosexuals have attained equality via the decrease of the rights of heterosexual singles. Whereas most of the commercial sex workers travel to Europe willingly to sell sex, some innocent women found themselves tricked into this immoral business. Seasoned sex workers traversed Europe as they looked for clients (Hardy, Kingston, and Sanders 2010). New comers had to pay for contacts from the old timers. At times, travelers who traveled to Europe on debt were tricked into selling sex. Human trafficking served as the primary source for illegal women who worked in brothels and sex clubs in Europe. Some of these sex workers were minors. The snakeheads had perfected this con by tricking eager women to sign documents that were written in languages foreign to them. By the time the women realized that they had been duped it was too late, and they were already in the commercial sex trade. However, some women migrant willfully engaged in selling sex (Hardy, Kingston, and Sanders, 2010). They argued that that was the quickest avenue by which they could make lots of money. Being illegal, these commercial sex workers were not immune to the problems that bedeviled the other illegal immigrants. They constantly faced maltreatment and abuse from their pimps and madams who at times refused to pay them. Politics of Race and Immigration Control In the year 1962, the Conservative government in the UK introduced immigration controls aimed at baring entry of black people into the country. This decision, which originated from the citizenry, was deemed racially discriminatory. Enoch Powel, the Conservative’s spokesman called for repatriation of the immigrants already in the UK. Powel cautioned that the non-white immigrants posed a threat to the natives. He further warned of the impending danger of the natives being alienated in their own country (Julios, 2008). Powel’s legacy, which birthed racism continued to thrive during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher. In 1978, she insisted that the enforcing of immigration controls was vital to the safeguarding of the Britons’ way of life. The institutionalized immigration controls also served to ensure that the natives had power over the migrants (Julios, 2008). Immigrants were often exposed to racial prejudices from the natives. Some of these prejudices arose from stereotypes held by the natives. Most of the whites were prejudiced against Asians whom they thought of as being dirty and anti-white. These prejudices were not restricted to the Asians. The Jews also faced maltreatments in the hands of the native. The immigrants presented a special challenge to the places where they migrated. Local education was hit by the problem of increased educational demands by the immigrants most of which were non-English speakers. The receiving government incurred extra cost in employing teachers to help the non-English migrants study the language (Julios, 2008). Immigration controls target to cut the links that subsist between the blacks who have settled in the United Kingdom and their homes of origin. Retention of such links is viewed by the receiving country as an act of disloyalty on the part of the migrants. The receiving country’s concern is that such links will encourage perpetual immigration, which will lead to the flooding of refugees and immigrants into the United Kingdom. Asian arranged marriages have also been cited as a means by which immigrants enter the UK. Asians who are settled in the UK arrange for their children to marry from their countries of origin. This has been noted as a concern by immigration authorities who fear that the process may persist forever. To remedy this situation, Parliamentary report (1978) was published recommending an imposition of an annual quota on the entrance of the Asians’ family members (Cohen, 2001). Conclusion The immigration controls affect the migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers alike (Cohen, 2001). Some immigrants are reluctant in shading their title of migrant. They take longer than usual to integrate into the receiving country. Most migrants find it difficult to acquire security and legal status in the receiving countries. The world is experiencing some notable changes especially as relating to the rising number of women who are migrating. This is attributed to the need by these women to better them and make money, which they repatriate back to their families. There is need for the feminist groups to continue with their lobbying for equal rights for the female immigrants. The politics of sex, race and, gender will continue to determine the immigration policies. The extent to which these politics will influence the immigration decisions lies in the hands of the policy makers. The immigrant problem will persist into the future as migrants continue to move abroad in search of greener pastures. Ideal immigration controls should accord the same treatment to all persons regardless of their sex, race or gender (Cohen, 2001). The need for the UK to protect her borders from the influx of migrants should not discriminate against legitimate asylum seekers. Strict rules pertaining to entry and stay in the receiving countries should be amended. This will serve to allow migrants access entry into the receiving country via legal channels, effectively reducing the number of illegal entries. Societies must soberly address the issue of migrants and immigration without casting a condemning eye on the migrants. The Home Department, which is charged with enforcing these controls, should conduct this exercise with all fairness. The Home Department should formulate programs, which will help the new legal migrants integrate easily into their new country. The immigration Act (1962) should further be amended to ease the entry procedures for all migrants. Female immigrants who are duped into commercial sex work should be rescued and protected from their pimps. References Agustin, L. (2006). The Disappearing of a Migration Category: Migrants Who Sell Sex. Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies, 32(1), 29-47. Cohen, S. (2001). Immigration controls, the family and the welfare state: A handbook of law, theory, politics and practice for local authority, voluntary sector and welfare state workers and legal advisors. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Hansen, R. (2000). Citizenship and immigration in post-war Britain: The institutional origins of a multicultural nation. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. Hardy, K., Kingston, S., & Sanders, T. (2010). New sociologies of sex work. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishers. Julios, C. (2008). Contemporary British identity: English language, migrants and public discourse. Aldershot: Ashgate. Rosenblatt, J., & Lewis, I. (1997). Children and immigration. Routledge. Read More