Mollie Gerver
@mgerver.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in International Ethics at King’s College London, focusing on immigration, consent, and experimental philosophy. www.mgerver.com
Pinned
Mollie Gerver
@mgerver.bsky.social
· Oct 16
Opposition to ICE violence is consistent with studies conducted over the years: people opposing immigration still oppose very violent enforcement. They oppose violent enforcement even when it’s necessary to force migrants to leave. See our studies here: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
There’s something offensive about apologising for offending, rather than apologising for the thing said. If Ratcliffe calls migrants “colonisers” he should absolutely not be sorry about how people reacted - about the offence they took - but for what he said to cause such offence.
Once again, people demanding an “open debate” on things we’ve been forced to debate for fucking ages are simply demanding the right to be vile and bigoted without pushback
Jim Ratcliffe sorry language 'offended some' after immigration comments
The Manchester United co-owner previously said the UK had been
www.bbc.co.uk
February 13, 2026 at 9:41 AM
There’s something offensive about apologising for offending, rather than apologising for the thing said. If Ratcliffe calls migrants “colonisers” he should absolutely not be sorry about how people reacted - about the offence they took - but for what he said to cause such offence.
This only takes ten minutes to fill out if you don’t answer the open questions. So if you have a moment, you can have your say on whether, for example, refugees and victims of domestic violence should need to wait longer before obtaining settlement.
Today is the last day before the deadline to tell the government what you think about their Earned Settlement proposals
Details here 👇
migration.greenparty.org.uk/response-to-...
Details here 👇
migration.greenparty.org.uk/response-to-...
Response to the Earned Settlement Consultation - Green Party Asylum and Migration Policy Working Group
On the 20th November 2025, the Labour government published an open consultation on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented. Settlement refers.....
migration.greenparty.org.uk
February 11, 2026 at 10:16 AM
This only takes ten minutes to fill out if you don’t answer the open questions. So if you have a moment, you can have your say on whether, for example, refugees and victims of domestic violence should need to wait longer before obtaining settlement.
Starmer claims the increase in migration during the pandemic - when much-needed health workers were brought in - was a “squalid chapter” in history, causing “incalculable” damage. How offensive to the essential workers who came to this country, risking their lives while helping a nation in need.
Starmer is also the person who put his signature and his picture on these pages. Not McSweeney, not Mahmood, not anybody else. Some of which is quoted in my bio because they apply to me 🤢
www.gov.uk/government/s...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821ae...
www.gov.uk/government/s...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821ae...
February 10, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Starmer claims the increase in migration during the pandemic - when much-needed health workers were brought in - was a “squalid chapter” in history, causing “incalculable” damage. How offensive to the essential workers who came to this country, risking their lives while helping a nation in need.
I’m glad for this policy, but don’t understand why Mahmoud is claiming, “the British people will always welcome those in genuine need of sanctuary.” That’s untrue, as the UK doesn’t provide humanitarian visas to most people in need. Why not just be honest? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
UK expands Hong Kong visa scheme in wake of Jimmy Lai’s prison sentence
Exclusive: Home Office ruling means thousands more Hongkongers will be eligible to come to the UK over next five years
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:06 PM
I’m glad for this policy, but don’t understand why Mahmoud is claiming, “the British people will always welcome those in genuine need of sanctuary.” That’s untrue, as the UK doesn’t provide humanitarian visas to most people in need. Why not just be honest? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
It would have been interesting to see what the results would be in these polls if respondents were told details about current enforcement.
in terms of the 'voters trust Rs to handle immigration over Ds' line, 2 points:
1. R advantage has been cut by half/two-thirds since 2024.
2. Public clearly disagrees with Trump on enforcement. Task for Dems is giving voters a coherent alt,
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
1. R advantage has been cut by half/two-thirds since 2024.
2. Public clearly disagrees with Trump on enforcement. Task for Dems is giving voters a coherent alt,
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
February 7, 2026 at 3:16 PM
It would have been interesting to see what the results would be in these polls if respondents were told details about current enforcement.
Reposted by Mollie Gerver
in terms of the 'voters trust Rs to handle immigration over Ds' line, 2 points:
1. R advantage has been cut by half/two-thirds since 2024.
2. Public clearly disagrees with Trump on enforcement. Task for Dems is giving voters a coherent alt,
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
1. R advantage has been cut by half/two-thirds since 2024.
2. Public clearly disagrees with Trump on enforcement. Task for Dems is giving voters a coherent alt,
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
February 7, 2026 at 2:54 PM
in terms of the 'voters trust Rs to handle immigration over Ds' line, 2 points:
1. R advantage has been cut by half/two-thirds since 2024.
2. Public clearly disagrees with Trump on enforcement. Task for Dems is giving voters a coherent alt,
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
1. R advantage has been cut by half/two-thirds since 2024.
2. Public clearly disagrees with Trump on enforcement. Task for Dems is giving voters a coherent alt,
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
“A decline of 100,000 in net migration could cut revenues by £7bn a year, even after factoring in migrants’ use of public services.”
"Migration Advisory Committee analysis suggests tougher rules are shutting out young people who would make a clear fiscal contribution over their lifetime — while potentially deterring top earners who have many options to go elsewhere."
FT on the migration doom loop..
www.ft.com/content/a17f...
FT on the migration doom loop..
www.ft.com/content/a17f...
Is UK immigration set for ‘net zero’?
Migration surge after Brexit and Covid lockdowns has eased while clampdown has slashed arrivals
www.ft.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:07 PM
“A decline of 100,000 in net migration could cut revenues by £7bn a year, even after factoring in migrants’ use of public services.”
Reposted by Mollie Gerver
“I urge UK settled residents, and citizens in particular, to respond thoughtfully to the government’s consultation survey … We are teaching your children, caring for your relatives, ensuring clean hospitals, providing medical care, bringing world-class research to your universities, and more.”
Visas leave migrants anything but settled | Letters
Letters: Rev Dr Rebekah E Sims urges Britons to respond to the government consultation on ‘earned settlement’ in support of workers like her, while another reader describes prolonged years of uncertai...
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:03 PM
“I urge UK settled residents, and citizens in particular, to respond thoughtfully to the government’s consultation survey … We are teaching your children, caring for your relatives, ensuring clean hospitals, providing medical care, bringing world-class research to your universities, and more.”
Under the latest plans, immigrants could wait 15, 20, and even 30 years to obtain citizenship. This will effect everyone from refugees, to healthcare workers, to parents of British citizens, and many more. Sign this petition to stop this change.
✍️ Please sign and share my latest petition!
In November, the government announced plans to amend the British Nationality Act to make citizenship harder to obtain.
So after migrants meet new ILR requirements, they'll wait longer, pay more, jump through MORE hoops.
🧵 Here's why this is unfair… /1
In November, the government announced plans to amend the British Nationality Act to make citizenship harder to obtain.
So after migrants meet new ILR requirements, they'll wait longer, pay more, jump through MORE hoops.
🧵 Here's why this is unfair… /1
Petition: Do not increase the time migrants with ILR need to wait to apply for citizenship
We ask the Government and Parliament not to amend the British Nationality Act 1981 to increase the qualifying period for migrants with indefinite leave to remain (ILR) to become eligible to apply for ...
petition.parliament.uk
January 4, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Under the latest plans, immigrants could wait 15, 20, and even 30 years to obtain citizenship. This will effect everyone from refugees, to healthcare workers, to parents of British citizens, and many more. Sign this petition to stop this change.
Oh yeah that makes sense.
January 2, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Oh yeah that makes sense.
Wishing everyone a prosperous year but not this prosperous.
Potential House of the Year on #SaturdayNightZillow! $177M LA playground "Villa Siena" has 35K sf, 8 BR, 25 BAs w/tons of eye candy. The ceiling of the main BR retracts "for stargazing." +Jazz Club, bronze staircase, hot & cold plunge pods, hydrotherapy chamber. Enjoy! www.zillow.com/homedetails/...
January 1, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Wishing everyone a prosperous year but not this prosperous.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025... Good point made by @parth0.bsky.social: “Having become used to opponents who challenge them mainly on grounds of economic equality, progressives now find themselves locked in conflict with those who reject far more basic tenets of human equality.”
Number of people who say Britons must be born in UK is rising, study shows
Exclusive: Research finds ‘worrying’ surge in support for hard-right narratives on national identity
www.theguardian.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:38 AM
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025... Good point made by @parth0.bsky.social: “Having become used to opponents who challenge them mainly on grounds of economic equality, progressives now find themselves locked in conflict with those who reject far more basic tenets of human equality.”
Reposted by Mollie Gerver
“The reason why Israel is suddenly recognising Somaliland, which has been a breakaway region for decades, is because they and the US are working on a plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza to there-despite the risk to regional security”
Julia McFarlane BBCNews
apnews.com/article/isra...
Julia McFarlane BBCNews
apnews.com/article/isra...
December 28, 2025 at 8:21 AM
“The reason why Israel is suddenly recognising Somaliland, which has been a breakaway region for decades, is because they and the US are working on a plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza to there-despite the risk to regional security”
Julia McFarlane BBCNews
apnews.com/article/isra...
Julia McFarlane BBCNews
apnews.com/article/isra...
Time and again - during war, pandemics, or wildfires - governments express gratitude towards migrants keeping citizens safe, and then a year later begin deporting them. These policies, we’ve found in our research, are wildly unpopular. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/u...
‘It’s Just Us’: The Firefighter, His Son and a Treacherous Choice
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Time and again - during war, pandemics, or wildfires - governments express gratitude towards migrants keeping citizens safe, and then a year later begin deporting them. These policies, we’ve found in our research, are wildly unpopular. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/u...
This researcher claims pro-immigrant researchers cherry pick evidence to reach conclusions, but doesn’t mention that the PNAS article he cites shows NO bias. Only a second one does. So he cherry picks evidence to show researchers cherry pick evidence! laurenzguenther.substack.com/p/why-immigr...
Why immigration research is probably biased
Public opinion surveys across Western countries consistently show that majorities prefer lower immigration levels.
laurenzguenther.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:24 AM
This researcher claims pro-immigrant researchers cherry pick evidence to reach conclusions, but doesn’t mention that the PNAS article he cites shows NO bias. Only a second one does. So he cherry picks evidence to show researchers cherry pick evidence! laurenzguenther.substack.com/p/why-immigr...
Really looking forward to @naomiaklein.bsky.social’s forthcoming book, but was surprised to see that you can’t *not* consent to cookies on her website, with only “accept” as an option. That’s contrary to UK law, and also seems inconsistent with Klein’s principles!
December 19, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Really looking forward to @naomiaklein.bsky.social’s forthcoming book, but was surprised to see that you can’t *not* consent to cookies on her website, with only “accept” as an option. That’s contrary to UK law, and also seems inconsistent with Klein’s principles!
Reposted by Mollie Gerver
Slides from a Home Office presentation for employers on “earned settlement” — note the case studies: they explicitly play the “good migrant” versus “bad migrant” narrative. Guess which category Sarah, the American, is placed in?
December 12, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Slides from a Home Office presentation for employers on “earned settlement” — note the case studies: they explicitly play the “good migrant” versus “bad migrant” narrative. Guess which category Sarah, the American, is placed in?
Why do people use words like “remigration” and not deportation? Maybe because “remigration” is very abstract. It can refer to migrants voluntarily leaving OR violent deportations, and so claiming most people support “remigration” seems plausible, while still used to justify violent deportations.
pretty wild seeing just how far right the average conservative has gotten now that they all say that a standard nazi germany era policy is “moderate” in their bubbles
December 10, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Why do people use words like “remigration” and not deportation? Maybe because “remigration” is very abstract. It can refer to migrants voluntarily leaving OR violent deportations, and so claiming most people support “remigration” seems plausible, while still used to justify violent deportations.
alexanderkustov.substack.com/p/immigratio.. @akoustov.bsky.social defends looking at the effects of immigration policies, not immigration itself. I think we can say something similar about public opinion: don’t ask people which immigrants they like. Ask them which immigration policies they like.
alexanderkustov.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:44 PM
alexanderkustov.substack.com/p/immigratio.. @akoustov.bsky.social defends looking at the effects of immigration policies, not immigration itself. I think we can say something similar about public opinion: don’t ask people which immigrants they like. Ask them which immigration policies they like.
Reposted by Mollie Gerver
This is an excellent thread about varieties of eugenicist thought and why we should worry about so-called "positive" benefits. Biology educators & psychologists have noted the way we (often) teach genetics seems to "cause" more essentialist thinking so one may imagine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Humane genomics education can reduce racism
Moving instruction “beyond Mendel” can counter inaccurate, essentialist views
www.science.org
December 4, 2025 at 12:59 PM
This is an excellent thread about varieties of eugenicist thought and why we should worry about so-called "positive" benefits. Biology educators & psychologists have noted the way we (often) teach genetics seems to "cause" more essentialist thinking so one may imagine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
There’s some useful info here, but also some misleading statements, such as the statement that focusing on small boats could be justified due to asylum seekers making up 10% of all migrants - the article fails to clarify that the vast majority of asylum seekers don’t arrive on small boats!
December 4, 2025 at 1:02 PM
There’s some useful info here, but also some misleading statements, such as the statement that focusing on small boats could be justified due to asylum seekers making up 10% of all migrants - the article fails to clarify that the vast majority of asylum seekers don’t arrive on small boats!
This looks like a great opportunity for someone interested in doing a PhD related to autonomy. Essex has an excellent group of political and moral philosophers.
www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate...
www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate...
Fulfilling the Broken Promise of Support for Mental Capacity in an Era of Assisted Dying: A Comparative, Applied-Philosophy Approach | University of Essex
www.essex.ac.uk
December 4, 2025 at 7:26 AM
This looks like a great opportunity for someone interested in doing a PhD related to autonomy. Essex has an excellent group of political and moral philosophers.
www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate...
www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate...
Great article by @kkale.bsky.social defending having elections everyday: everyday you vote for your preferred candidate/party, with winners determined by counting up all votes after a given cycle. So no more elections resulting from whatever happens to be in the news right before election day.
My paper defending a new electoral system out now at Free & Equal!
Every Day an Election Day
Voting occurs on Election Day. In the history of electoral democracy, this fact has been closely identified with the practice of elections. However, I argue the temporality of election time generates ...
freeandequaljournal.org
November 29, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Great article by @kkale.bsky.social defending having elections everyday: everyday you vote for your preferred candidate/party, with winners determined by counting up all votes after a given cycle. So no more elections resulting from whatever happens to be in the news right before election day.
Reposted by Mollie Gerver
Shameless self-publicity. My new book "Why Immigration Policy Is Hard And How To Make It Better" is out.
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
Why Immigration Policy Is Hard: And How to Make It Better
Why Immigration Policy Is Hard: And How to Make It Better, Immigration policy will never satisfy everyone. It’s a stubborn fact that more people will want to move to high-income countries than residen...
www.politybooks.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Shameless self-publicity. My new book "Why Immigration Policy Is Hard And How To Make It Better" is out.
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
Note that she was *legally* overstaying her visa, as far as I understand, because this is allowed while waiting the outcome of a green card application.
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
British mum detained by ICE agents in California as six-month old baby and stunned husband watch on | LBC
Katie Paul, 33, was in the process of applying for a green card when she was ambushed by immigration agents
www.lbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Note that she was *legally* overstaying her visa, as far as I understand, because this is allowed while waiting the outcome of a green card application.