Immigration Policy in Focus: Will Migration Caps Solve Britain’s Border Crisis? __ An Interview With Julius Mbaluto

Immigration has returned to the forefront of Britain’s political debate as the government wrestles with border control, labour shortages, and the legacy of Brexit. From migration caps to controversial offshore asylum proposals such as the UK–Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, policymakers face difficult choices over how to manage migration while protecting economic growth.

Journalist and broadcaster Julius Mbaluto examines whether the real challenge lies in border enforcement, faster asylum processing, or building a coherent post-Brexit immigration strategy for the UK

1- Is the current pressure on Britain’s borders primarily a failure of policy design — or a consequence of global migration trends beyond the UK’s control?

UK has come up with different policies to tackle immigration over the years. Some have worked and by the same token, other policies haven’t delivered as originally intended. Immigration remains a topical issue, a subject of radio and television shows, covered in the news almost talked about by all on daily basis.

It’s been argued that immigration pressure emanates from post-Brexit, non-EU migration for work, a surge in student visas, those coming to the UK on Humanitarian grounds for example, Ukraine and Hong Kong, Afghanistan. UK’s demand for demand for lower -skilled labour has also contributed.
Outside this equation, you also have people freeing from countries experiencing war and other victims of human trafficking. Some of these people end up in boats, some have capsized in sea and others who make it are classified as illegal migrants.

2️- Would imposing a strict annual migration cap actually reduce pressure on housing, wages, and public services — or risk harming sectors like the NHS and universities?

It is the duty of any government to regulate and control immigration. It is difficult to put a cap on the levels of immigration because global trends are unpredicting. For example, when Russia attacked Ukraine, the UK opened doors to assist and accommodate people coming from Ukraine. It wasn’t expected and it wasn’t seen. If there was a cap, UK would not have helped these people.

While immigration can be perceived negatively, it can be a blessing in a different case. There are many people who legally settled in the UK but have always been hard-working and contributing to the wellness of the country. UK has also focused their policies in some cases attracting talented people.
UK’s education is a huge industry benefiting a lot from foreign students. These students pay tuition fees which is two times higher than home students.

3️- Rwanda-style external processing was presented as a deterrent model. Do offshore schemes genuinely reduce irregular migration, or are they more symbolic than effective?

 UK- Rwanda scheme to help curb illegal immigration was controversial and provoked lots of debates. If we create a situation where one country ship away those deemed to be illegals, will they be good in country that hosts them.
>Many people argued that it’s better to deport someone back to his or her country instead of a different country where they could struggle to fit in. Although it was showcased a deterrent, the arguments for and against it, never ceased until it was dropped.
Can such efforts reduce illegal immigration? Again, all countries have the right to control their borders but this method never fully materialized and it’s difficult to tell if it would have succeeded or not.

4️- If Britain tightens legal migration routes while also cracking down on asylum arrivals, what is the long-term economic impact on a country facing labour shortages and an ageing population?

After Brexit, UK realized how important EU was. When UK was a member, British citizens would travel freely in the UK. They would also work freely in other countries. That privilege was also given to citizens of other countries coming to live and work in the UK. When Brexit happened, restrictions came, many citizens from EU who were working left the country meaning there was labour shortage. Experts have argued that too much restriction on immigration can affect the economy.

5️- Is the real issue border enforcement, asylum backlog management, or the lack of an updated immigration strategy for post-Brexit Britain?

If processing of asylum seekers and immigration process were much more efficient, then perhaps, the backlog would cause so much problem. The protests we witnessed of British protesting against asylum seekers kept in hotels won’t be there. Efficient processing means decisions are faster, those given asylum allowed in and those denied deported.

6️- At what point does stronger border control risk undermining Britain’s global reputation as an open economy and rule-of-law democracy?

If a country is hesitant to assist those freeing war or others are fugitive due to political reasons, other countries might be tempted to be negative to such country. As the international law exist to protect refugees and those whose life in danger, then a country which doesn’t want to help might be perceived differently.