Another group of unwanted guests in Thailand is hastily deported. The aim of Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to create a new Immigration Affairs department of state would replace an outdated bureaucracy well past its sell-by date. Although foreign tourists and expats only see the Immigration Bureau as responsible for border control regulation, the reality is that many state agencies are involved in policy implementation. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues new visa regulations to its embassies abroad whereas the immigration police are responsible for who actually enters and for how long. The advent of the Destination Thailand Visa has illustrated the confusion between Thai embassies abroad (under the control of the Foreign Affairs Ministry) and immigration officers on duty at airports and borders. The Ministry of Labor is responsible for the issuing of work permits, whereas the Immigration Bureau controls the length of visas associated with them. But the Board of Investment’s (BOI) one-stop-shop is also heavily involved in establishing separately trading companies, work permits and visas. Applications for the 10-year Long Term Residence, amongst others, go directly to the BOI. Anutin’s proposed reform would also shift the perception of immigration from simply a security issue to border management and human welfare concerns. Current policies categorize illegal entrants and overstayers as threats. But there are also humanitarian concerns such as political refugees and asylum seekers. Even some western tourists have been inhumanely treated when “accidental” overstay occurs, for example because of prolonged hospitalization. The existing immigration framework can lead to mass forcible return of Myanmar political refugees, even though the Thai economy is in dire need of unskilled and semi-skilled workers from neighboring countries. The deportation of Uyghurs back to China reflects rigid immigration rules contrary to the suppression of torture act of 2022 which explicitly bans deportations to locations where torture or persecution is likely. Human rights cannot be exempted from all immigration matters. A new department of state would have very broad duties. They would include residency permits to foreigners including the 5-20 years Elite (Privilege Card), granting work authorization, administering citizenship and naturalization processes and managing civil registration for both Thais and foreigners. The last over-arching immigration reform was in 1979 when the agenda was focused on the shifting populations after the end of the American war in south east Asia. However, the barrier to all progress on immigration issues remains corruption. Currently there is rampant people smuggling, foreigners running proxy businesses, illegal working and chronic abuse, as reflected in recent scandals about student visas being awarded to applicants with nefarious intentions. Unless corruption is tackled, changing structures won’t get very far.