Italy faces a migrant surge coming from Africa. Although illegal migration to Italy has been an issue for years, the current surge has stretched the state’s capacity to new limits.
While Italy, especially Sicily, is one of the main entry points for African migrants, it is not always the end goal for them. Western and Northern European states are typically final destinations due to their higher standard of living. Politico explains:
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday promised “a coordinated response” from Brussels to the problem of immigration, vowing to improve anti-trafficking forces, increase air surveillance and consider a possible new European naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea.
Following a surge in arrivals by boat on the Italian coast last week, von der Leyen visited the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday, where thousands of migrants are stranded in difficult conditions. She was accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The crisis in Italy is reminiscent of America’s own Southern border. Huge numbers of migrants have overwhelmed capabilities to process them, causing suffering among all populations. Arizona Central continues:
The global south with its fast-growing population and often broken economies is pushing upward to the global north where birth rates are low and jobs are more plentiful and better paying.
The same global forces that apply pressure on Western Europe are also creating enormous stress on the United States and Arizona.
Both the European Union and the US Government pay lip service to containing illegal immigration, yet continue to reward it. Not only do laws and society get trampled in the process, but some of the migrants are themselves victims of human trafficking.
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