By Cameron Ashouripour

Following recent protests in Portsmouth over small boat crossings and reports that people smugglers may be exploring alternative landing points further along England's south coast, illegal migration is once again dominating headlines.

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The political debate that follows is familiar. Calls for tougher laws. Demands for stronger enforcement. Fresh questions over whether the Government has the powers it needs to regain control of Britain's borders.

But in my view, that debate starts in the wrong place.

In the months leading up to the 2024 US Presidential election, American media was saturated with images and headlines showing record numbers of people crossing the US-Mexico border illegally. These stories were often framed around claims that illegal immigration was driving rises in violent and drug-related crime, helping to cement a belief among more than 65% of Americans that the border needed to be closed. It was a sentiment that almost certainly contributed to President Trump's re-election victory.

Within weeks of returning to office, the Trump administration was claiming that illegal border crossings had effectively fallen to zero. A feat allegedly achieved despite no new laws being put on the United States' books.

The same principle........

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