Report comment

It seems pretty obvious to me that Brexit was to a large degree decided on exactly the same xenophobia as Trump's election. That alone will preclude a shift of immigration from the US to the UK. There are similar sentiments in other European countries, but the crucial difference is that in those countries, xenophobia is not a government policy, as it is today in the US and the UK.

That said, it would be in everyone's interest if developing countries would develop and economic fugitives would stay home - something most of them would probably prefer. This is easily done. If developed countries would just give up protectionist trade policies, especially in the field of agriculture, the problem would be marginalised. According to the OECD, food prices consist of around 50% subsidies in the US, 65% in the EU and 85% in Japan. All this money protects the small and diminishing domestic agri sector and its powerful lobby machine. Therefore, the easy solution is politically impossible and the only other option is immigration. OECD countries can keep out developing countries' goods or developing countries' people, but not both.