Perhaps the largest concern for voters in the recent UK referendum, was the issue of immigration. People felt that the ‘open border’ policy of the European Union was against the interest of Britain. They were concerned about their jobs and the pressure on public services and housing caused by unregulated migratory labour. The argument put forward was that by leaving the European Union, an ‘independent’ United Kingdom would regain control of it’s borders.

Did you worry about what you were being told was true or not? Perhaps you should have.

Here is a little test to see how much you really know about border control and travel within the European Union.

Most of the paperless immigrants coming to the United Kingdom come from Europe – wrong.

Most paperless immigrants come from outside the European Union, such as Africa and the Middle East.

The UK is included in the Schengen Area which is a border free travel zone. – wrong.

The UK is not in the Schengen Area.

The Republic of Ireland is included in the Schengen Area – wrong.

Both countries believe that their shared maritime borders provide greater security than ‘permeable’ the land borders of many European countries. They therefore set up their own Common Travel Area (CTA) to create border less travel within the UK and it’s islands, and Ireland.

Patrolling coastal borders for paperless immigrants is a high priority for the UK government – wrong.

When Mrs Teresa May was Home Secretary, there were three patrol boats to cover the 19,491 miles of coastline. Dorset police had to introduce their own patrols in rubber dingies as they were particularly vulnerable.

Non-EU citizens with valid visas may enjoy this free movement across borders in the Schengen Area– correct.

Criminals obtain stolen passports on the black market for this purpose.

In order to prove that an EU citizen or non-EU citizen has the right to cross a border within the Schengen Area, national police are permitted to request a passport or recognised ID, provided this is not equivalent to a border check – right.

(comment; when is a border check not a border check? Travelling from France to Spain, I encountered French Border Control officers at the last payage control in France. That’s a stop to pay your road toll, not a border check of course.)

The Channel Islands have their own border force independent of the UK – right and wrong.

The Channel Islands are within the CTA so check travellers from outside this area such as EU citizens. They do not have a single border force but two. (comment; why two border forces for such small islands?)

If you were born in Northern Ireland but wish to become a Irish Republic European Citizen, you can – correct.

The ‘Good Friday Agreement’ permits such persons to hold dual nationality and after Brexit they will expect to travel to Ireland unhindered.

There are fixed controls at Irish ports and airports, to establish where people entering have come from – true.

Even if you came from the UK, you would be checked at Dublin airport to see if you had come from within the CTA or not. (comment; intending to abandon border checks is a paradox as there is always a need to check if you need to check!)

The land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is open without checks as a condition of the Good Friday Agreement – right.

(comment; good walls do not make good neighbours in Ireland. If you don’t have an agreed plan in place to maintain peace in the island of Ireland after Brexit, don’t have a referendum. Put simply for the benefit of politicians, don’t cross a desert without a bottle of water.)

An individual may travel to the UK without a visa if they in transit to another destination, unless that individual is intending to travel to Ireland – right

If you are coming from Afghanistan to visit your uncle in Dublin and arrive at Heathrow, you should have a visa to enter the UK and another to enter Ireland.

A person travelling from Spain to Gibraltar must show a valid passport – true

Gibraltar is part of the United Kingdom and therefore not part of the Schengen Area.

(comment; Margaret Thatcher moved Tornado jets to Gibraltar during the Falklands war to deter invasion of Gibraltar by Spain. The people of Gibraltar and the Falklands defend their UK nationality proudly and yet they were rarely mentioned in the Brexit debates.)

In truth, I am not an expert on any of this. I’ve just cribbed a few facts from Wikipedia. My main point is that even the right to travel, is a highly complex subject. It is fraught with political judgements balancing a citizens right to freedom and right to be safe and secure. In practice European Union Member countries bend rules to achieve a border control process that suits them. The UK and Republic of Ireland and few other European country’s decided not to be in the Schengen Area. They can’t blame the EU when it comes to border control and the consequences of poor government decisions. 

But even with strong border controls, they are really only paper walls. A person entering a country for whatever reason, with a valid visa or passport is potentially going to morph into a paperless immigrant by ‘overstaying’. The United Kingdom has this problem in the same way the the United States and many European countries do.

The UK will need to deal with it’s ‘ghost’ population humanely and with respect. They have a right to freedom and security as much as the indigenous population. That is what ‘democracy’ stands for, isn’t it?

Their existence was not addressed by Brexit in the debates I listened to. Trump wants them out of the USA and wall built. Australia puts them in internment camps. Will post Brexit voters want this in the next UK election?