It looks like no matter where we look, we are reminded that
IMMIGRATION (and in fact, it’s un-controlled, illegal part) is a part of our
reality, will stay a part of our reality for any foreseeable future.
We, in the States have a continuous influx of the immigrants
form the Latin American countries - the influx we are completely unable to
control or regulate. Europe,
especially Italy (being the closest to Africa European country), has to deal
with the Africans coming there, crossing the Mediterranean on a variety of
not-sea-worthy vessels, and drowning in numbers… Australia deals with the South-Asians, who go there to
better their lives and/or to study…
The countries like the USA, Canada and Australia are the
countries of emigrants. They were
created for and by the Europeans who, for one reason or another were looking to
start the new lives far away from where they grew up. The reasons were completely different in the case of the USA
(religious persecution in England…, and then famine…, and then wars…, and then
political asylum…) and Australia (a ‘promised land’ - white country… and then
wars… and then poverty…, and then political asylum…), or were they?
At the end, all developed, and politically stable countries,
who enjoyed at the same time the economical booms, and prosperity, have become
the destination in the dreams of all the people who’s lives were far from the
economical and political stability.
Be it a political oppression in the communist states (like
USSR, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland…), or fear for survival in
the war stricken countries (like former Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania in
the 90-ties, or Syria, Iraq, Libia, Mali, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, sub-Saharan
countries, in the recent years), millions of people always had a very good
reason to try to escape, and, even rising their lives try to reach the
‘promised lands’.
Little they knew, that in the ‘promised lands’ no-one wanted
them, and in fact, no-one cared.
Little they knew, that when the immigrants reach the point of the
‘critical mass’, the whole societies revolt against them, and their lives not
only do not improve, but in some cases even worsen.
And here comes the point why I decided to write this
article:
WE ARE ALL
MISTAKEN (IN THE DEVELOPED AND
STABLE COUNTRIES) - when we think about the immigration problem in the terms
pertaining to our welfare, and it’s good or bad impact on our countries. WE ARE ALL WRONG.
Also the argument on the subject of the immigration, we have
in the States, starts from the wrong thesis.
We all talk about it, the subject is one of the decisive
topics of the election campaigns, and yet we start the discussion from the
wrong premise. All we hear is that
the America was built on, and by the immigrants. That is a fact.
But drawing the conclusions just from the historical references is not
enough and may be completely wrong.
We used to have a slavery - and we developed understanding that it was
wrong, and won’t be repeated. We
used to burn the alleged witches…, and then we grew understanding that it
wasn’t right.
We, as a society evolve, the same way as the world evolves
around us. The increasing
availability of the information and the speed with which this information
reaches even the most remote parts of the world is changing the people’s
perception of the world. Is it
good or bad, it’s another story.
One may always argue that the ‘ignorance is bliss’. But it doesn’t change the
equation. The ‘gene is out of the
bottle’. The world has changed and
it’s changing constantly with the ever increasing speed.
We have to understand that - like nomadic tribes change
location in search of the grass to feed their cattle, not caring about the
artificially imposed (by the English, French or Spanish Colonialists) borders -
people will always move in search of the better pasture. It’s not something which started
happening right now, it’s been always like that (I do not want to put too much emphasis on this reference,
but such an exodus was described even in the Bible).
So, we have to accept it as part of our reality. The world is changing. Hitler wanted the blood purity of the
nation and all the people in the world knew that it was a wrong concept. Australia until quite recently had a
constitutional motto - to be a white nation. Come-on! Even
there the concept hasn’t survived.
THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF STOPPING OR LIMITING OF THE INFLUX OF
IMMIGRANTS TO THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD IS WRONG. ANY ACTING ON IT - FUTILE.
At this point of the development of the Civilization, we
simply can’t deny anybody’s right to better their lives. The fact that someone was born in the
now corrupt and dangerous, post-colonial African, or Asian country, dosn’t mean
that that person has to endure the abuse for the rest of his/her life.
And again the argument is not about our (American) roots as
a immigrant country, but simply about the humanitarian effort to help those who
do not have anything. Let’s not
fool ourselves, the immigration in the numbers we are experiencing, will cost a
lot. It’s not that (as the
politicians try to tell you in the election campaign speeches) make us rich or
even improve our lives. But the
world is decided on those who have and those who have not. For centuries the countries who have
have taken advantage of those who have not. It’s been happening today all around the globe.
Colonialism, and late the Economical and Technological
Hegemony of the developed countries are to blame (in great degree) for the
poverty, wars and political instability of the so called 3rd World. Even the corruption (I should say
‘uncontrollable’ corruption) in these countries is the direct result of the
situation we have created.
So, since WE HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE PROBLEM - WE HAVE TO BE
A PART OF THE SOLUTION.
Europe, after the Arab Spring has been dealing with the
thousands of African immigrants crossing the see. Italy is the closest to Africa European country. Hundreds of thousands of the immigrants
crossed what’s called ‘The Sicilian Canal’ trying to reach a small island of
Lampedusa. Thousands haven’t
succeeded and died trying.
Corpses were washing off the beaches of the Italy.
It took them a long time, but finally the Government in
Brussels reacted. The military
vessels monitor the open see and pick daily hundreds of the immigrants. They are brought ashore and start their
way though the system. At this
point, thanks to operation ’Triton’, people stopped drowning.
the Mediterranean Sea has been recently named “Mare Nostrum”
(in Latin “Our Sea”). It’s the
beginning - a step in the right direction.
The next step - in my opinion - would be the creation of the
World-wide refugee registry. This
kind of registry should contain all the immigrants who enter the system in any
country in the World.
It is unfair to Italy, that all the African immigrants stay
and are processed in Italy.
According to the World-wide Registry, they should be distributed among
all the countries in the region, who have abilities to accept the certain
number of immigrants.
The most immigrant-friendly European country is without the
doubt Norway. At the beginning of
1992 the immigrant population in Norway was 183,000 persons, or 4.3 per cent of
the total population. 23 years later, at the beginning of 2015, the number had
risen to 815,000 persons, (or 15.6 per cent of the population). A small country, with the best
understanding of the global population trends.
We all, especially in USA, should look into the Norwegian
approach (or solution) and learn.
The world is changing, and we have to be productive about it - not by
building fences and using the military drones to control the borders, but by
building the IMMIGRATION CENTERS to which those who really want to enter the US
would go and register. You can’t
limit the immigration - but you can very well control it.
And think about:
human trafficking is a multi-billion Dollar business. By accepting the immigration and
controlling it, you can easily defeat the trafficking business. But it would be too logical. It’s always easier to respond with more
‘SWAT’ teams or ‘special forces’- like border guards. It’s business after all.
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