How, and why, the concept of asylum-seekers coming to Britain was invented as long ago as 1905

The idea of asylum-seekers was first formulated in the 1905 Aliens Act. This law was brought in because of concerns over the growth of parallel communities, the fear of terrorism, and the anxiety that foreigners were coming to Britain and expecting to be supported by the state, rather than working. The legislation also created the modern concept of the ‘asylum-seeker’ and then, just as now, this loophole was ruthlessly exploited by those who thought that we in Britain were gullible idiots.