This essay will reflect on the controversial issue of immigration, in particular asylum seekers, and the social policy responses to international migration. I will be discussing throughout this essay the statement presented and arguing on both sides bordered around ‘private trouble’ or ‘public issue’.
Sociology emerged at the time of the Industrial Revolution, an era of huge social revolutions and new social problems. The sociological approaches have been part of society’s historical changes, it studies the social order and individuals’ behaviors and uses perspectives to define significant deviations and provide a partial view of reality.
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There is a wide range of sociological theories to the study of society during the 19th century, where growth and development became the predominant model for understanding societal change.
Sociologist Wright Mills’s controversial conflict theory is a contribution of exploring social issues and connecting them to ‘private matter’ or ‘public issues’. In his work ‘Social Imagination’, he explores the connection between social structures and individual experiences. He portrays private trouble as to be the set of values appreciated by an individual and felt by him to be challenged and that the “troubles occur within the individual character and the range of his immediate relations with others”. He portrays public issues in such a way that when a private problem no longer impacts an individual, it becomes a social issue and begins to affect society.
One of the foremost political and contentious social issues in Britain is immigration, particularly asylum. Britain has a long history of contemporary immigration linked to globalization processes and its impact on employment, welfare, and social structure. Those who flee their countries illegally because of the destruction and devastation caused by war, fear of their safety, persecution for political beliefs, human rights abuse, and conflict have the right to apply for asylum hence entering another state under the basis of refugee law. Theoretically, in the case of displacement, in fact, the state's restrictive policies have been affecting BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) migrants who are already disproportionately represented in social welfare (Graham, 2002). Immigration policy continues rationalized. This highlights the need for policy reforms to guarantee racial inequality are reduced, or if not, additional policies should be implemented. Hence, social policies are in place to provide benefits to everyone (or they should) as the basic conditions for the existence of individuals. But the issue of immigration management goes beyond the issue of refugee rights. As government tries to tighten migration and ensure that migration serves interests, the categorization of migrants has become more compound, whether their movement is voluntary or forced. The current government distinguishes between economic migrants (voluntary movement) and refugees and asylum seekers (forced migrants).
The recognized asylum cases under the UN Geneva Convention 1951 on the Status of Refugees, are entitled to protection from deportation, family reunion, and the same welfare and employment rights as citizens of the nation in which they now reside. The convention aims to protect people's fundamental rights and freedom in democratic countries when people can no longer rely on their state to protect their fundamental rights, ensure a fair balance between society’s interest and individual’s fundamental rights protection, and protect them against the power of the state.
There is an interaction between welfare and migration policies and, as a result, the two incorporate the rights and entitlements of non-nationals. The Asylum and Immigration 1993 Act, states the entitlements, labor market, social security, and housing.
The Race Relations Act first introduced in 1976 focuses on direct and indirect discrimination and equal opportunities and it is closely linked to immigration policy. The policy is contradictory as often required a response to racist immigration policy and state resentment.
Over the years government’s views on immigration become clear “immigrants come to the country and consume the wealth of the country without ever having created anything” (Liam Fox International Trade Secretary, 2016). And “foreigners are taking jobs people do” (Amber Rudd Home Secretary, Conservative Party, 2016).
Several critics of the welfare system on the political right claimed that some policies can become too controlling and have a negative impact on people’s lives. For example, the Human Rights Act 1998 states that everyone has the right and freedom of thoughts, religion, freedom from torture or degrading treatment, and the right of liberty, and any kind of discrimination or exploitation. Though the Human Rights Act is clear about the statutory rights, it is concerning, for example, the prison-like asylum centers in inhuman conditions housing hundreds of people which infringes the law and for instance makes social integration of refugees controlled by the estate and a violation to civil rights.
The welfare of the state should have a consensus society able to bond, form relationships, cooperate and communicate. Immigration become a huge ‘public issue’ instead.
Nonetheless, policies appear not to help struggling immigrants over the local population. It can be argued that some politicians use stereotypes to expose how immigrants are out of control. For example, associating terrorism with asylum and immigrants (especially brown-skinned) simple creates fear and hostility amongst communities and are oppressive homophobic, labelling individuals by suggesting that all the brown-skinned migrants are potential terrorists.
Although fixing illegal immigration is far from ending and the emerging issues are prevalent, we need to consider that in some cases refugees and asylum seekers are given advantages to the country’s economy to growth, such as paying taxes regardless of how they cross the border.
Britain sees illegal immigration as one of the largest problems faced, affecting the state welfare and social structures. “The personal problem of war, when occurs is how to survive, how to get to a safe place even if there is no choice but leave the origin country, in short, according to one’s values, to find a set of milieux and within it to survive or make one’s death in it meaningful” (C. Wright Mills, 1959: 9). To some extent, those who are illegal have often suffered stressful events along the way, such as rape, imprisonment, physical and emotional violence, economic hardship, torture, and many more atrocities. These challenges predispose high levels of mortality and morbidity.
Immigration and asylum seekers become on a larger scale a ‘public issue’ and are linked to the institutional and historical social structure. “Know that many personal troubles cannot be solved merely as troubles but must be understood in terms of public issues” (Mills, 1959: 226). Due to the system refugees have no choice but to encounter high levels of poverty leading to an increasing economic vulnerability. Largely, the costs are seen as a burden to the state: support on meals and commodity expenses, misery on salary rates, growing environmental degradation, and financial pressure on the country. As a result, this situation may lead to economic lapse, restricted resources between communities and refugees, as well as increasing social tensions. The problem here becomes part of a community resulting from inconsistent institutions and regressive structures. Nevertheless, the long-term displacement of the refugees in base camps, for example, becomes part of a societal issue characterized by social pressure, disintegration, vulnerability, negative resentment among people, and the trauma from discrimination which is a health hazard. Political refugees/asylum seekers are unable to access resources or make informed decisions compared to voluntary migrants because of their forced migration to seek protection. The salience of uncertainty marginalizes asylum seekers.
In summary, migration is indeed a controversial issue that will continue to be a major societal issue, the causes of social changes are diverse, and the processes of change should be recognized by the estate and the implementation of policies as either short-term movements or long-term growths within the integration of different groups and their families. Nonetheless, if immigration continues to be pointed out and seen as ‘private trouble’ instead of being addressed by the state with new policies implementation, this will drastically impact societal connections and the separation between communities.
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