Some statistics on asylum seekers in Britain

Sarah Liebowitz:

According to the Office of National Statistics, the number of foreigners taking up residency in Britain rose from 107,000 in 1997, when Prime Minister Tony Blair took office, to 236,200 in 2003, about half of them on work permits. The annual number of foreigners granted British citizenship rose from 37,010 to 124,315 over that period.

Much of the public animosity is directed toward asylum seekers, who claim they would face persecution for religious, political, or ethnic reasons if they had to return to their home countries. Unlike the majority of immigrants who enter the country to find work, asylum seekers get financial and housing benefits from the British government while awaiting a decision on their applications.

The number seeking asylum increased initially under Blair, but, according to government figures, has declined to 1997 levels. In 2003, 21,000 applicants were granted asylum, half the number approved in 2000. Specialists say the decline stems in part from an EU-wide crackdown on asylum seekers and new British laws limiting financial support for asylum seekers.

Critics of Britain's immigration policy, however, say asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected are staying in the country illegally. They say one reason the number of applicants fell is that in 2003 the government granted residency to anyone who had applied for asylum before 2000 or who had a child in Britain.

And here is how the British public feels about the issue:

However, in a Mori poll in February, 23 percent of those surveyed listed asylum seekers and immigration as the single most important issue facing Britain, almost double the number naming the war in Iraq or terrorism. In December, a YouGov poll for the Economist showed that 74 percent of Britons think there's too much immigration.

And while Labor is still expected to win the upcoming election, Howard's tough talk has some political columnists beginning to hint at an election upset. In an effort to match Howard's proposals, Blair has also proposed a points system, along with a plan to grant refugees temporary residence, rather than permanent leave to remain in Britain.

Wouldn't it be nice if the Republicans in the United States could get serious about the issue of immigration just like the British Tories are doing?