No Such Thing as “Illegal Immigrants”
It’s always telling when someone posts a seemingly innocent question about “illegal immigrants” — often with the pretence of holding the moral and legal high ground.
We’re seeing this repeatedly from Reform UK councillors and politicians, armed with half-truths, distortions, and social media soundbites.
But the reality is very different. When it comes to asylum, international law, and basic human rights, there are no “illegal asylum seekers.” The term itself is a contradiction — both legally and morally.
So, what is the truth?
The Right to Seek Asylum Is a Fundamental Human Right
Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) — adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948, with the United Kingdom among the original signatories — states:
“Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”
— UDHR, Article 14 (UN source)
This is an absolute right in its intent.
It recognises that people fleeing persecution — whether political, religious, racial, or otherwise — must be able to find safety beyond their borders.
The right to seek asylum does not depend on how a person arrives, whether they hold travel documents, or if they have prior authorisation.
In the simplest terms: you cannot be “illegal” for seeking asylum.
This right was reaffirmed in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, signed in Geneva on 28 July 1951.
The United Kingdom ratified the Convention on 11 March 1954, and later the 1967 Protocol on 4 September 1968, which removed the original geographical and time limitations restricting it to post-war Europe.
(UNHCR source)
The Convention remains the cornerstone of international refugee protection and defines who qualifies as a refugee:
“A refugee is a person who, owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.”
Crucially — and something Reform UK conveniently overlook — Article 31 of the Convention explicitly recognises that refugees may need to enter a country irregularly:
“The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened, enter or are present in their territory without authorisation…”
This clause exists precisely because the framers of the Convention understood that those fleeing persecution often cannot wait for passports, visas, or official permission — often the very documents their governments refuse to issue.
There Is No Legal Way to Seek Asylum from Outside the UK
Under current UK immigration law, it is not possible to apply for asylum from abroad.
The Home Office makes this absolutely clear: individuals must be physically present in the UK to claim asylum.
(UK Government – Claim Asylum)
This means that people fleeing war, oppression, or persecution — whether from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, or elsewhere — have no safe or legal route designated specifically for seeking asylum.
They cannot book a flight or apply at a UK embassy overseas.
Their only legal right to claim asylum begins once they are here.
This is why many are forced to take irregular and dangerous routes — crossing the Channel, hiding in lorries, or taking perilous journeys.
It is not because they are “breaking the law,” but because the law gives them no other way to exercise their fundamental human right to seek safety.
This is crystal clear — which makes it all the more concerning that Reform UK politicians know full well what the law says, yet continue to weaponise migration for political gain.
The phrase “illegal immigrant” has no standing in international law. It’s a political slogan, not a legal term.
Refugees and asylum seekers are protected under both international and domestic law.
Their legal status is only determined after their asylum claim is assessed.
Until that point, they are simply exercising their rights under Article 14 of the UDHR and Article 31 of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Even if a claim is ultimately refused, they were never “illegal” for seeking asylum.
To describe them as such is to criminalise the act of seeking safety — something the UK and all Convention signatories explicitly pledged not to do.
When the UK ratified the Refugee Convention in 1954, it accepted both a legal obligation and a moral duty: to protect those fleeing persecution and to treat them with dignity and fairness.
Britain has a proud history of offering sanctuary —
- to those fleeing Nazi persecution in the 1930s,
- to Ugandan Asians expelled by Idi Amin in the 1970s, and
- to refugees from the Balkans and Syria in more recent decades.
That tradition is now being deliberately undermined by rhetoric that misrepresents international law and vilifies people seeking the same safety and liberty we ourselves would demand in their place.
Language shapes understanding.
When Reform UK, some Conservative politicians, and segments of the mainstream media label people as “illegal,” they distort reality, divide communities, and foster hostility toward the vulnerable.
Is there any wonder that we have seen an increase in reported hate crimes in the UK.
Recognising that asylum seekers are not illegal — and never have been — is the first step toward restoring a humane, lawful, and principled approach to migration and refuge.
As citizens of a country that helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we should expect our leaders to uphold, not erode, those values.
If you truly want to understand the issue — seek out the facts for yourself.
Don’t blindly follow those who spread fear and discord for self-serving political gain.
References
- United Nations. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) – Article 14.
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and 1967 Protocol.
https://www.unhcr.org/1951-refugee-convention.html - UK Government. Asylum Policy Guidance and Legal Process.
https://www.gov.uk/claim-asylum - UK Treaty Series No. 39 (1954). Refugee Convention Ratification by the United Kingdom.
London: HMSO.
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