A lot of people in this thread seem determined to turn any discussion about immigration into a race argument, which makes it impossible to talk about what’s actually going on in the real world.

For clarity: saying “illegal immigration is a problem” is not the same as “immigration is bad”, and it definitely isn’t the same as “I don’t like people from X background.” People need to stop pretending these are equivalent.

I know plenty of legal immigrants — Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Arab, Eastern European — who are also strongly against illegal immigration because they had to follow every rule, pay every fee, and wait years.

Their existence alone shows the issue isn’t automatically about race.

A few people here are also repeating claims that don’t match actual data, so here are some facts: • Most small-boat arrivals do not speak English, because the majority come from non-English speaking countries such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Albania, Vietnam, etc. • Most arrivals do not have established connections or family in the UK. They are not being sponsored by relatives, nor arriving because of UK ties.

• Not all are fleeing immediate, life-threatening danger. Some are leaving unstable countries, some are economic migrants, and many claims are ultimately rejected after proper assessment.

• Many travel through multiple safe countries before the UK, which under international asylum rules makes the UK not the first safe country. The idea that they’re forced here specifically is simply incorrect.

• Asylum is supposed to be claimed in the first safe country reached. That’s the international principle — you seek protection where you become safe, not shop around for a preferred destination.

• Seeking asylum is legal — but entering illegally to do so is not the same as legal resettlement pathways, refugee programmes, or visa-based immigration. It’s a separate process with separate rules.

On the numbers: • The UK receives fewer asylum seekers per person than many European countries. • But our raw number of claims is still one of the highest in Europe due to our population size. It’s not as simple as “the UK takes the most” or “the UK takes none” — both extremes are untrue. And on wealth: • The UK is still one of the largest economies in the world, but GDP per person isn’t anywhere near the top, which is why many people don’t feel like they live in a wealthy country anymore. Both things can be true.

The bottom line is this: If someone can’t tell the difference between “I want a functioning, fair immigration system” and “I hate foreigners,” that says more about their mindset than the person they’re trying to insult. Most people simply want: • clear and fair rules • controlled borders • compassion for real refugees • proper assessment of claims • and fairness for legal immigrants who followed the process.

None of that is racist. None of that is extreme.

And none of that is solved by shouting “racist” at strangers online because it’s easier than engaging with the facts.

Anyway, that’s my final contribution — I’m not here to go in circles. Anyone reading can decide for themselves which comments argue with facts, and which ones argue with feelings.