President Donald Trump was on a state visit in the UK and continued pushing his immigration agenda. Despite the UK having its own policies, geography, and demographics, Trump suggested they should consider deploying military forces against migrants crossing the Channel from France. A cabinet minister responded to Trump’s suggestion, calling it “extremely complicated.”
BBC reports that a UK cabinet minister said their army would be better utilized defending the nation than stopping asylum seekers. Trade Secretary Peter Kyle added, “The navy actually does have a working relationship with the UK Border Force, and the navy can be called upon if needed, so we do have the functional relationship that we need between our military and keeping our borders safe and secure.”
The complexities come from the vastly different realities in the UK compared to the US. Migrants tend to travel through Europe and then cross from French beaches to the UK in small boats. A former commander of the UK joint forces noted, “I don’t think France is going to be very enthusiastic about British troops on French beaches, unless they were very carefully co-ordinated.”
The UK is currently under the stewardship of the Labour Party and PM Keir Starmer, who has opted for a more diplomatic approach with Trump rather than open antagonism — a move that has helped cool tensions over tariffs. Trump, for his part, has also tried to watch his words since beginning his second term, showing unusual restraint when speaking about the royals compared to his previous tabloid-like commentary.
However, at a joint press conference with PM Starmer at his country residence in Chequers, Trump returned to familiar rhetoric about the ills of immigration and how migrants “destroy” nations. He pleaded with the UK, saying, “You have people coming in and I told the prime minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use.”
PM Starmer’s Labour Party is traditionally left-leaning but has lately been shifting toward the center. They, too, have been exploring ways to curtail immigration. However, they ensured the blocking of plans to send migrants who entered the UK to Rwanda after the UK Supreme Court found Rwanda’s human rights record lacking. It’s worth noting that the Trump administration later implemented this abandoned UK plan and, according to Al Jazeera, has already begun deporting immigrants to the East African nation.
Instead, the UK has entered into a deal with France called the “one in, one out migrant plan.” Under the agreement, if the UK returns to France a migrant who crossed illegally through the Channel, it will, in turn, accept an equal number of legal asylum seekers from France. The intention is to take in those less likely to commit crimes. It echoes a promise Trump once made to his supporters — before abandoning any attempt to design a policy that could make it happen.
The UK is confronting its immigration challenges with complex, carefully balanced solutions. Perhaps Trump might see this as an opportunity to learn, instead of trying to “teach.”
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