Said and unsaid ways of tackling immigration.

On a summer afternoon, the immigration counter at Gatwick Airport, London, was thinly crowded, and border police officers sitting on the other side of the counter were visibly relaxed. A young officer was surprisingly friendly and invited me to come to his counter with a subdued smile. It was a welcomingly rare experience for immigrants from third-world countries. After checking my documents, he started a conversation by asking about my master's subject. Promptly, after my reply, the next question was whether I have a job in my chosen academic field. After my quasi-negative reply smeared with an aura of hope, he took no time to blow my morale by narrating his tale that he passed with an English major, yet he failed to find a job in his chosen subject and landed up in his current post.  I left the counter without a whimper, just a courteous thank you.

We are all aware that the UK Government has taken strict measures to tighten the influx of immigrants, whether legal or illegal. Usually, the border police officials follow the protocol and make routine queries to the incoming international passengers. As an advertising professional, I am well aware of this tactic to have a one-to-one conversation about personal experiences to make an impression, especially on the strugglers. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that this kind of out-of-context conversation is designed by the state machinery and tactfully planted to demoralise those who are trying hard to build their careers. 

Moreover, immigration counters are strategic locations because people arriving from home are already homesick, and their wits are on the edges. It is an ideal time to destroy their hopes by hammering on the hot iron. Historically, there are countless instances in which developed nations have hatched the most notorious strategies to achieve their hidden agendas.