A tale of two immigrants

I had planned today to write about Donald Trump, but that can wait.  Two news items have caught my eye, both concerning immigrant women.  Sanaa Shahid is a lawyer who has lived in Scotland all of her life.  Irene Clennel is currently being held in a detention centre in Scotland awaiting removal back to her native Singapore.

Mrs Shahid has made the news because she filmed a man called Alexander MacKinnon – also a lawyer – abusing her on a train, and telling her in particular that she should not be in the country.  He subsequently admitted a racially aggravated public order offence, and was made to pay a fine and other costs totalling just over £1400.  The comments on the website of The Daily Mail display little sympathy for him.

Mrs Clennel came to Britain in 1988, and a couple of years later married a British man.  They are still married, and have a home in County Durham.  Together they have two children and a granddaughter.  So far as I am aware she has never committed any crime.  The Daily Mail report does not explain on what basis she has been denied any further stay in this country, but quotes a government official as saying that all applications to remain are considered on their individual merits.  The comments are overwhelmingly supportive of her.

The deal is this.  If you are an ordinary person then it appears that you cannot legally tell an immigrant that they should not be in the country.  However if you are the evil government then you are allowed to tell an immigrant that they should not be in the country, and you can also enforce their removal.