Can we tolerate the Mediterranean becoming a graveyard? No, we must put an end to this situation. The best way is to start with accurate information to stop the false clichés…
There is an explosion of migrant arrivals in Europe!
The majority of migrations occur between Southern countries. The majority of foreigners present on European territory are, in fact, of European origin. In Belgium, 82% of the population is Belgian by birth, with the remaining 18% being people born with a foreign nationality (of which 8% have acquired Belgian nationality).
The European Union (EU) proposes to resettle 20,000 refugees over two years based on several criteria (GDP, population, etc.). It’s a drop in the ocean! The United Nations has estimated that 1.2 million refugees (worldwide) need to be urgently resettled, that is, 300,000 people each year over the next five years.
Regarding asylum seekers, the EU wishes for its Member States to process 40,000 asylum applications from people already arrived in Europe to relieve Italy and Greece. This proposal would not change anything for Belgium: it granted refugee status to 1,270 Syrians in 2014, which is nearly the number of relocations suggested by the EU for Belgium. Moreover, these 1,270 refugees could only arrive in Belgium through “illegal” routes.
They come to claim our benefits and take our jobs!
There are not as many immigrant populations as one might think among the recipients of family benefits or unemployment benefits. And if they are, it is often because they are victims of discrimination in hiring.
It should be noted that no aid is granted simply for being a foreigner. People in irregular status (thus undocumented) are not entitled to any aid except urgent medical assistance. There is only one exception in the case of a minor child in need. Only refugee status (or other protection) allows one to have the right to social integration income and to legally access the labor market.
Some employers take advantage of people in an irregular situation to employ them undeclared and subject them to very low wages and precarious working conditions. Note that migrants very often take on low-skilled and demanding jobs that we don’t want. On the contrary, in many cases, they can generate jobs when they create their own businesses. They pay taxes and inject money into our economy.
“Immigration ruins public finances!”
According to various studies, the cost of immigration is nil, or even slightly positive. Migrants inject money into our economy. According to a German study, cited by Cimade, a migrant contributes an average net amount of €50,000 to the finances of the host country throughout their life. Moreover, resorting to labor immigration will become increasingly necessary with the aging population and our too low demographics.
Let’s not forget that attempts to block our borders are costly for our countries, particularly the erection of walls with advanced surveillance equipment. Between 2007 and 2013, the EU allocated nearly €4 billion to migration policies (including the return of third-country nationals and border control). Only 17% (or €700 million) were dedicated to asylum procedures.
“We are going to be invaded by criminals and terrorists!”
The setup of a search and rescue operation will allow for the registration of arrivals and identification of persons at the appropriate time. However, those who board these makeshift boats are men, women, and children fleeing to save their lives or find a better life for themselves and their families. They are not terrorists. The latter travel like everyone else, especially by plane, if necessary with fake papers. But they are also recruited on European territory.
Too often a mix-up is made between Muslims and extremists, thus generalizing a fear of Muslims. However, extremists only represent a tiny minority of Muslims.
“Europe is a sieve!”
On the contrary, Europe is a real fortress. At the borders of Europe, walls are being erected everywhere, notably between Turkey and Greece or Turkey and Bulgaria, and around the Spanish enclaves in Morocco. Barbed wire, deterrence barriers, radars, tear gas diffusers, motion detectors: sophisticated surveillance systems and military devices are employed for border protection. Paradoxically, it is these surveillance means that lead migrants to enter clandestinely, but one cannot say that Europe is a sieve.
Moreover, entering and settling in Europe is a real obstacle course. Every migrant must indeed obtain a visa; however, the wait is often very long and the conditions for obtaining papers have been tightened for both migrants and refugees. The procedures for applying for asylum have become so restrictive that they do not always allow individuals exposed to conflicts to obtain refugee status.
“Europe must reinforce its borders to prevent immigration and deaths!”
Building walls and fences will not decrease migrant arrivals but will cause more deaths at sea. People fleeing conflicts or wars will always try to save their lives, even if they have to take perilous routes. Even when the Mare Nostrum Italian search and rescue operation ended, migrants and refugees continued arriving in greater numbers.
The reinforcement of these measures is the cause of much suffering and human losses. Given the fences closing off the safest routes, the tightening of surveillance, and the deployment of security forces, migrants are forced to take even more dangerous routes, sometimes with tragic consequences. Women, men, and children drown at sea or suffocate in trucks. Thus, it is precisely EU policy that is responsible for the deaths at sea. Although the EU has strengthened its rescue operation, the lack of safe and legal routes will continue to force migrants and refugees to take dangerous paths to save their lives…
“Migrants and refugees undertake dangerous journeys by choice or unconsciously!”
Migrants and refugees are forced to flee their countries of origin to save their lives. Due to the lack of safe and legal ways to reach Europe, they are forced to take dangerous paths to ensure their survival and that of their family.
According to statistics, a majority of those who arrive by sea are fleeing war, conflict, persecution, torture, or death threats. In 2013, 63% of people arriving irregularly by sea in Europe came from Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, and Somalia, countries ravaged by conflict and massive human rights violations. In 2014, Syrians and Eritreans represented more than half of the approximately 170,000 people who arrived in Italy by sea. The same observation was made for the first months of 2015.
“The reinforcement of rescue and search operations will prompt more people to attempt the crossing and create an appeal effect”
There is no evidence to support this hypothesis. In fact, the number of refugees and migrants taking the sea route increased since Italy ended the Mare Nostrum rescue operation in October 2014, and thus when risks were higher. More than 41,470 people already arrived in Italy by sea between January and May 2015. Most people simply seek to flee at all costs from an extremely difficult situation, even at the risk of their lives. Many have no choice but to take the sea to try to find safety.
“Destroying the ships is a good thing!”
It’s unclear how governments will destroy the ships before they are used by traffickers without endangering refugees and migrants. Tens of thousands of migrants and refugees could find themselves trapped in a violent conflict zone. These actions also risk mobilizing EU ships and planes that would otherwise be used to rescue people at sea. And all this could lead migrant populations to use even more dangerous means to attempt to penetrate Fortress Europe.
Similar situations (boat people in Asia at the end of the Vietnam War) have shown that traffickers responded to the destruction of boats by building even more dangerous skiffs…
