Hong Kong authorities have responded to illegal immigrants in different ways over the years. The main determinants of the handling of illegal immigrants have been the economy and labor market, the fear of social unrest, and British foreign policy toward China. In addition, policies in Hong Kong toward illegal immigrants have been used as political negotiating points by the Chinese authorities. For many years, the government enacted and increased draconian criminal powers, but did not use them. Over the course of legislation from 1949 to 1980, this trend resulted in rather severe penalties. In 1988, the government decided to bring the sanctions into use, even though the problem of illegal immigration appeared to be less severe than it had been several years earlier. The reason for this decision will become clear only in about the year 2018, when the relevant government files should become available. 24 references