--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A question has to be asked: if you are a…" description: "\"A question has to be asked: if you are a genuine asylum seeker, why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in? Because F..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/sajid-javid-12453_country_a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a_1869853.jpg" --- # A question has to be asked: if you are a genuine asylum… ![“A question has to be asked: if you are a genuine asylum seeker, why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in? Because France is not a country where anyone would argue it is not safe in any way whatsoever, and if you are genuine, then why not seek asylum in your…” quote by Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/sajid-javid-12453_country_a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a_1869853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/sajid-javid-12453_country_a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a_1869853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/sajid-javid-12453_country_a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a_1869853.jpg) > “A question has to be asked: if you are a genuine asylum seeker, why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in? Because France is not a country where anyone would argue it is not safe in any way whatsoever, and if you are genuine, then why not seek asylum in your first safe country?” [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker questions why genuine asylum seekers would bypass the first safe country, implying France is unquestionably safe. **In simple terms:** Why not seek asylum where you first feel safe? Key Takeaway Consider the logic of safe‑country choice. Themes asylum policy legal reasoning ethics migration politics Mood critical analytical Type policy legal When to use this quote - immigration interviews - policy debates - human rights assessments Key Concepts refugee law country‑of‑origin principle burden‑sharing Questions to Reflect On - What defines a “safe country” in practice? - How do political narratives shape asylum decisions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) ## Related quotes > [The Daily Mail can't say 'asylum-seeker' without saying 'foreign criminal' in the same sentence. I'm sure it's practically editorial policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/the-daily-mail-can-t-say-asylum-seeker-without-saying-foreign/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [Our asylum laws were written to protect victims fleeing persecution in their home countries. By limiting the scope of these laws and refusing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/our-asylum-laws-were-written-to-protect-victims-fleeing-persecution/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [I hate the Chinese government. If you do not want to embrace North Korean defectors in your country, I understand. But we have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/i-hate-the-chinese-government-if-you-do-not-want-to-embrace-north/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [I have no plans to seek asylum in the U.S. or elsewhere. I have not thought about citizenship. I love my country, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feyisa-lilesa/i-have-no-plans-to-seek-asylum-in-the-u-s-or-elsewhere-i-have-not/) [Feyisa Lilesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feyisa-lilesa/) > [Patriots don't go to Russia. They don't seek asylum in Cuba. They don't seek asylum in Venezuela. They fight their cause here. Edward Snowden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/patriots-don-t-go-to-russia-they-don-t-seek-asylum-in-cuba-they-don-t/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [“Adolescents tend to seek love where they can find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/adolescents-tend-to-seek-love-where-they-can-find-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“If you were to stare at this box of matches, you could extract entire worlds out of it. If you search for tastes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-gombrowicz/if-you-were-to-stare-at-this-box-of-matches-you-could-extract-entire/) [Witold Gombrowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-gombrowicz/) > [“A spark of every fire we seek is already within us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/a-spark-of-every-fire-we-seek-is-already-within-us/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [If politicians did care about their constituents, they would work harder to seek out people like me. They don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/if-politicians-did-care-about-their-constituents-they-would-work/) [Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/) > [There are reasons people seek escape in books, and one of those reasons is that the boundary of what can happen is beyond what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/there-are-reasons-people-seek-escape-in-books-and-one-of-those/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [To seek yourself in this world is to be lost; and to be humble is to be exalted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/to-seek-yourself-in-this-world-is-to-be-lost-and-to-be-humble-is-to/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. JEREMIAH 29:13”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stormie-omartian/you-will-seek-me-and-find-me-when-you-seek-me-with-all-your-heart/) [Stormie Omartian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stormie-omartian/) > [Human beings seek community, and permanent openness is hard to sustain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/human-beings-seek-community-and-permanent-openness-is-hard-to-sustain/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria ## More by Sajid Javid > [It might sound strange coming from a home secretary - I'm a big fan of immigration and what it means for our country, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/it-might-sound-strange-coming-from-a-home-secretary-i-m-a-big-fan-of/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [When I heard about the Windrush issue, I thought, 'That could be my mum... it could be my dad... it could be my uncle...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/when-i-heard-about-the-windrush-issue-i-thought-that-could-be-my-mum/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [We have a workforce crisis across the NHS with around 100,000 vacancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/we-have-a-workforce-crisis-across-the-nhs-with-around-100-000/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [Growing up in Rochdale, I think, all the kids in my street, pretty much every boy was playing cricket. I had four brothers as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/growing-up-in-rochdale-i-think-all-the-kids-in-my-street-pretty-much/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [Sending genuine refugees to face persecution in order to dissuade others from seeking to come here is plainly illegal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/sending-genuine-refugees-to-face-persecution-in-order-to-dissuade/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [As long as I'm in government, as long as I'm in politics, I will do everything in my power to fight back against those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/as-long-as-i-m-in-government-as-long-as-i-m-in-politics-i-will-do/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [Like the Caribbean Windrush generation, my parents came to this country from the Commonwealth in the 1960s. They, too, came to help rebuild this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/like-the-caribbean-windrush-generation-my-parents-came-to-this/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [When it comes to human life, clearly I want to make sure we are doing all we can to protect people, and we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/when-it-comes-to-human-life-clearly-i-want-to-make-sure-we-are-doing/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [I'm a second-generation migrant. My parents came to this country from Pakistan, just like the Windrush generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/i-m-a-second-generation-migrant-my-parents-came-to-this-country-from/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [If you don't speak English, then there is no way you can take full advantage of the opportunities that modern Britain has to offer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/if-you-don-t-speak-english-then-there-is-no-way-you-can-take-full/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [I've already made some changes. I have suspended certain things. Certainly, opening bank accounts, and whether you can or cannot as an illegal immigrant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/i-ve-already-made-some-changes-i-have-suspended-certain-things/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [For all its bluster, the BDS campaign is most notable, I think, for its lack of success. Trade is booming; tourism is soaring. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/for-all-its-bluster-the-bds-campaign-is-most-notable-i-think-for-its/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [I want to start by making a pledge, a pledge to those from the Windrush generation who have been in this country for decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/i-want-to-start-by-making-a-pledge-a-pledge-to-those-from-the/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [My parents were immigrants from Pakistan. My father has passed away now, but my father and mother were very proud of Britain, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/my-parents-were-immigrants-from-pakistan-my-father-has-passed-away/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [I'm going to start by making a confession. My name's Sajid Javid. And I used to be a banker. No point denying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/i-m-going-to-start-by-making-a-confession-my-name-s-sajid-javid-and-i/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) [Explore all 54 Sajid Javid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) ## More Country quotes > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/) [Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/) > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) [Browse all 29,881 Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A question has to be asked: if you are a genuine asylum seeker, why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in? Because France is not a country where anyone would argue it is not safe in any way whatsoever, and if you are genuine, then why not seek asylum in your first safe country?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sajid Javid" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a-genuine-asylum-seeker-why/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Country" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a-genuine-asylum-seeker-why/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/sajid-javid-12453_country_a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a_1869853.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/sajid-javid-12453_country_a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a_1869853.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/sajid-javid-12453_country_a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a_1869853.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A question has to be asked: if you are a genuine asylum seeker, why have you not sought asylum in the first…” — Sajid Javid", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sajid Javid", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A question has to be asked:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a-genuine-asylum-seeker-why/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/a-question-has-to-be-asked-if-you-are-a-genuine-asylum-seeker-why/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```