I agree immigration needs to be highly controlled, but Trump is the extreme other end of the scale. I honestly couldn't think of a less competent individual to be doing the job he's assigned to.
I actually worked as a citizenship caseworker for 12 years and an immigration officer for 5 years so i know first hand what goes on. When it comes to seeking asylum, a person is supposed to claim asylum in the first safe country they arrive in. So if you're fleeing the Taliban, you should be safe in Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan. When an Afghan, for example, claims asylum in the UK, that means they passed through eight or nine safe countries to get here (Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Germany and The Netherlands). As an immigration officer, i'd ask myself "if i were fleeing danger in Afghanistan, why would i pass through all of those countries to come here? Counties that have a similar culture, language and climate?" The obvious reason is always free healthcare and benefits. Sad to say, but i saw it literally everyday for 17 years in my job. When i granted someone British Citizenship, for example, and i told them over the phone you'd almost always get the same question asked immediately after... "so when can i get a passport?". No sounds of gratitude, elation or joy... simply a passport. Because a passport = easy travel to and from the country you "fled" from and also means to family back home will now have a claim under human rights to come and settle in the UK because it'd be cruel to break up a family.
Other times you'd get African families with like 12 kids. They'd go through the whole process, get citizenship, then the "mother" would suddenly tell you that some of the kids arnt hers. In the UK we dont take citizenship off people. So these kids are now British Citizens, which means their real mother/father can now come over and get a visa because they have ties in the UK (their kids). Doesn't matter if their parents have a criminal record or disease.
My personal opinion (and feel free to pick it apart) as to how to deal with immigration is:
- Each country in Europe should take an equal percentage of asylum seekers.
- As soon as whatever regime they've fled is overthrown, return them to their country.
- Immigrants who apply legally should be prioritized by their educational qualifications (doctors, engineers, tradesmen/women)
- Commit a crime while you're here and you're out.