Parsing Immigration Policy Katie Lam, UK Shadow Minister, on Immigration
Oct 2, 2025
41:25
This week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy features Katie Lam, Conservative Member of Parliament for Weald of Kent and a Shadow Home Office Minister, who brings a British perspective on the pressing issue of immigration.
Since 1974, the UK’s immigration system has been marked by broken promises to the voters and rising numbers – despite repeated pledges to reduce migration. Net migration has averaged 100,000+ annually since 1977, peaking at more than 900,000 in 2023, creating profound economic, cultural, and practical challenges.
In a conversation with Mark Krikorian, the Center’s Executive Director, Lam argues that both legal and illegal migration must be tackled head-on:
Legal Migration
In today's commentary, Mark Krikorian notes the role that taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens plays in the current government shutdown debate and observes that the only major immigration function that stops during a shutdown is E-Verify.
Host
Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Guest
Katie Lamm is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Weald of Kent and a Shadow Home Office Minister.
Intro Montage
Voices in the opening montage:
Since 1974, the UK’s immigration system has been marked by broken promises to the voters and rising numbers – despite repeated pledges to reduce migration. Net migration has averaged 100,000+ annually since 1977, peaking at more than 900,000 in 2023, creating profound economic, cultural, and practical challenges.
In a conversation with Mark Krikorian, the Center’s Executive Director, Lam argues that both legal and illegal migration must be tackled head-on:
Legal Migration
- Current system brings in too many people and is insufficiently selective.
- Health & Social Care visa was projected to bring in 6,000 entrants – but saw 600,000 arrivals, many not working in the sector.
- Consequence: artificially low wages, huge costs to taxpayers in part due to long-term settlement rights that provide welfare, housing, and full healthcare.
- Solution: cut and cap numbers, set clear criteria.
- Over 30,000 illegal Channel crossings so far this year – the 2025 number will be a record high.
- Criminal gangs drive the crossings, costing taxpayers 52,000 pounds per person annually – before even receiving asylum – in housing, food, clothing, and spending money.
- Lam supports the Rwanda plan – a third-country asylum model to deter unlawful entry.
In today's commentary, Mark Krikorian notes the role that taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens plays in the current government shutdown debate and observes that the only major immigration function that stops during a shutdown is E-Verify.
Host
Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.
Guest
Katie Lamm is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Weald of Kent and a Shadow Home Office Minister.
Intro Montage
Voices in the opening montage:
- Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
- Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
- President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
- Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
- Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
- Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
- Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
- Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
- Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
- Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
- Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".