Was Illegal immigrant now an Economic migrant

[silverfoxcc]

Can someone explain when this change of defintion started?

Anybody entering any country by not going through passport control/customs is doing it illegally.
Surely an economic migrant is one who has gone through the process of doing it 'by the book' and not floating over on an inflated inner tube ,or jumping out of a trailer halfway up the M1

[hornetrider]

Well it depends.

Economic migrants can be illegal and legal. Someone from Eritrea who wants to come over and better themselves is illegal. They are camped in Calais trying to get over. Someone from Poland however flies into Heathrow and is legal.

The above different from genuine refugees/asylum seekers in fear of war or persecution of course.

[wildcat45]

Probably some PC thing, like the BBC calling terrorists extremists or insurgents. Never using the word enemy.

[silverfoxcc]

Hornet,
The phrase is being used more and more by the BBC et al describing those coming over on cardboard boxes ,sent by people smugglers etc, not the guys who turn up ,even from Eritrea with papers etc and enter via the front door so to speak.
And Why do the respective rescue boats, actually take them to where they are going??????
Send a few rescued ones back to whence they came and someone might get the message. Otherwise the smuggler are on a win win situation. Cheaper floating death traps getting 100% (or nearly) of their custmomer across courtesy of the dumbnuts navies.
Or is it just me seeing the Kings New Clothes?

Edited by silverfoxcc on Tuesday 7th June 16:08

[Murph7355]

PC brigade. Not wanting to offend anyone, and not wanting to lend any credence to opposing political views

[marshalla]

silverfoxcc said:

And Why do the respective rescue boats, actually take them to where they are going??????

Because the rescuers might get shot when they approach the other shore instead of going home ?
or because some of the migrants may be real refugees.

[Zod]

FFS, it's just a term to distinguish between refugees and migrants who simply want a better life.

[MrBarry123]

An illegal immigrant is someone who has migrated to a country in a way which contravenes the immigration laws of the destination country.

An economic migrant is someone who migrates to a country in order to better their standard of living. By definition therefore, a economic migrant can be illegal or legal however their primary drivers for migrating from one place to another are economic factors rather than, for example, fear of persecution etc.