Mercy Muroki: Integrating foreigners into a country relies on the goodwill of its people

The Prime Minister will, in the coming days, be announcing what he calls a “new and bespoke resettlement scheme” for Afghans fleeing the country as the Taliban take hold, although he hasn’t yet said how many refugees the UK would, or even could, take.

Other countries have already began promising refuge for the hundreds of thousands who have been forced from their homes as a result of fighting in the country. Canada has promised 20,000 refugees a new home, prioritizing human rights advocates, women, LGBTQ people. Many other countries have also STOPPED deporting people back to Afghanistan for obvious reasons.

Now I support the government’s commitment to offer refuge to those most in need - of course I do. This country has a history of doing that very well.

I’m an immigrant. I came to this country as a child. My family has found this country nothing but welcoming. And that is because we as a country are – we’re one of the most welcoming countries on the face of the Earth. But make no mistake, successfully integrating foreigners into any country relies on the goodwill, the compassion, the empathy of a countries people.

So the government – when they get round to offering Afghans refuge – should not be surprised if they find that, after having not cracked down on an unprecedented wave of ILLEGAL crossings across the channel, the appetite for taking in many more people from abroad is not what it could be.

Because quite frankly, the people smugglers, the migrants, the government, and the French authorities have taken the absolute mick. They’ve taken the mick out of British people’s goodwill, they’ve taken the mick out of what I believe is a genuine desire in Britain to help those in need.

Now, some might say – it’s not a zero sum game – we can take in illegal migrants coming from France AND Afghani reguees. I say, no, we can’t. The accommodation needed to house people doesn’t grow on trees, the hundreds of millions spent looking after migrants, asylum seekers, refugees does not grow on trees.

If the government wants to keep the goodwill of British people when it comes to accommodating foreigners in this country, a goodwill I fear is hanging on by a thread for many, then they need to stop the people taking advantage of our borders.