Peace Time: People Smuggler’s Lament
25th November 2022
A new government in Italy was elected partly because of promises to do something about the people smuggling from North Africa used corrupt North African governments. Italian gangsters and EU (European Union) countries far from the Mediterranean back NGOs (non-government organizations) which operate boats to take the illegal migrants directly to European (mainly Italian) ports where the migrants are deposited and claim asylum. According to EU rules that means they can stay, often in Italy. This becomes a problem for local Italians who are not prepared to absorb so many migrants, who become an economic burden for Italy and contribute to a rising crime rate.
The new government in Italy refused to allow an NGO “rescue boat” to unload its 230 passengers in Italy. For a while the NGOs were able to land their illegal migrants in Malta, which lies between North Africa and Italy. Malta joined the EU in 2003 and found that EU rules obliged it to accept illegal migrants from North Africa who were picked up by NGO rescue boats and taken to the nearest EU nation where they were they could claim asylum. This was quite a burden for Malta, with a population of only half a million. In contrast Italy has 60 million and France 65 million. In 2015 Malta began refusing to allow the NGO boats to land, so the NGO boats took their passengers to Italy, The EU criticized Malta but did not try to force Malta to accept the illegals. At first Italy went along with accepting the illegals but eventually that became a political issue in Italy and now the NGO boats must take their passengers to France, which protested when 230 illegals were landed at a French port. The NGO boats are sponsored by EU members far from the problem, mainly Norway and Germany. Most EU members would prefer that all these illegals land in Italy, where most of the migrants will stay and become a problem for Italy but not the rest of the EU nations.