Migration

For the second time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited migrant, refugee and minority group representatives to an integration summit. The meeting is making headlines across Europe and particularly in Turkey as the country’s main Turkish organizations will be boycotting tomorrow’s talk shop. Interestingly, their protest is less aimed at the government’s integration plans, which have plenty of deficiencies as they stand. Instead, they are using the occassion to express their unhappiness about a clause in the recently amended foreigner law, which makes it more difficult for immigrants to bring their spouses to the country. Turkish organizations argue that the law is discriminatory: Germans that want to bring their immigrant wife to the country face fewer obstacles, than immigrants in the same situation. The IHT and Der Spiegel have articles on the issue and we will cover the results tomorrow and throughout the weekend.

 In a few underreported incidents, last Thursday a migrant boat with 20 aboard disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily on its way to Europe. Last Wednesday, 23 migrants were also picked up by Italian coastguards found clinging to a tuna cage near Sicily. Numerous other migrants were picked up as well last week from various boats. It was reported that 35 people had drowned since the beginning of the month of June in between Libya, Malta and Sicily.

The incidents of boat people are seen as an ever-growing cause of concern in the Mediterranean and worldwide as noted by the UNHCR. Beyond drowning, often migrants are killed or thrown into the sea on purpose by smugglers, which add an ever more dangerous element to the fate of asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants trying to flee Africa and other regions towards opportunity in other nations. On July 3rd the IMO and UNHCR met in London to address the issue.

With the new EU Presidency of Portugal coming soon to shape the future of EU policy, Lisbon has stated publicly that there needs to be some real action in addressing illegal immigration. With countries like Spain, Portugal, Malta and Italy having to deal with the majority of boat people, the victims, security and ensuring their human rights are met; Portugal challenged the EU to seek a real combined effort in addressing the issue. Many in Southern Europe feel that leaving the problems to be dealt solely by Mediterranean countries where most of the migrants enter the entire EU by sea requires an EU approach and not solely a national effort.

Despite protests from Portugal, the issue of illegal migration is still intertwined with political challenges and administrative red tape in addressing the issue via the EU. With the Portuguese Presidency of the EU and UN now refocusing on the issue, there is some hope that progress will be possible in the near future.

For Other Sea and Migrant Stories:

FPA Migration Middle East and Africa
FPA Migration Europe

The failure of Immigration reform in the US marked a special occasion in recent US political history where both parties have come to complete consensus over an issue, and have decided that NO ONE can agree on anything when it comes to reforming the unworkable immigration laws in the United States. The plan was finally put to rest when members of both the Democrats and Republicans could not come to any consensus in reforming the key issues tied in with immigration last week. The main points of disagreement among US politicians were debates over border security, what to do with the approximately 12 million illegal immigrants in the US, and allowing a new process for foreign workers to be able to work legally in the US. Addressing these three main issue were considered by many as asking too much too soon in altering current US immigration policy.

The effect on the Bush Administration disallows any attempt to improve domestic support and his overall reputation before he leaves office. Many political experts see immigration as a dead issue until 2009, when a new President can adopt the issue to gain their own support and leave the Bush legacy with only Iraq and scandals as its main points of historical debate. It remains to be seen how future candidates will address immigration, if at all in the upcoming US elections.

The real losers however are immigrants and Americans themselves. In the June 30th article by the New York Times: Immigrants Work On as Bill Dies and Views Divide, news of the failed reforms met some concerned groups with quiet mediocrity while others were happy to know that they may still have a good chance to make it to America without increased border security hindering their chances. Workers currently in the US, like Ediberto Perez reacted by saying: “Well, I am just going to keep working, What more can I do?” Also spoken about in the New York Times article was Mr. Brito, who thought him and his companions would never gain legal status. He has his wife and four children living in Mexico and while said he would love to become legal, it would not stop him from working at any job he can find.

Criticisms of the continuation of the labour situation in the US have met criticism from across the border in Mexico. Mexican President Felipe Calderon called the Senate’s decision a “grave error” and a failure to find a “sensible, rational, legal solution to the migration problem.” Jorge Bustamente of the UN human rights commission for migrants criticized the lack of reform measures by stating, “It means the continuation and probably a worsening of the migrants’ vulnerable conditions.” Mexican newspaper El Universal also commented on the failure of the immigration reform by stating that while American politicians want labour, they are unwilling to legalise the labour they require.

While delaying approaching the immigration issue until 2009 may not solve any current problems, it is evident that there is still a severe lack of consensus in dealing with immigration in the United States. While agreeing to disagree is the result of this latest round of immigration issues across America and beyond its borders into Mexico and abroad, everyone concerned must deal with its political paralysis for the time being.

The US Senate’s failure to move the compromise bill on immigration reform forward has dominated headlines over the past few days. Meanwhile, the election of the first black mayor in Ireland is being heralded as a success of that country’s integration policies. As Portugal takes over the rotating EU Council Presidency from Germany for the next six months, the European Council of Refugees and Exiles highlights a number of priorities, including the creation of a pan-European asylum system.

• The Economist summarizes the proposed US immigration bill and the political arguments that ultimately led to its failure.
• Randal Archibold of the NYT visited US migrants as the news broke to gather their impressions. His five-page article vividly proves why the current legal situation is unsatisfactory, and endangers the lives and livelihoods of many thousands of migrants living, working and contributing to the US economy in all 50 States today.
• The first black mayor in Ireland is heralding his election as a proof of how well European societies can adapt to rapid flows of migration, the Guardian reports. Rotimi Adebari, who arrived in Ireland as an asylum seeker seven years ago and had difficulties finding employment in the first few years, was elected mayor ofPortlaoise, backed by established parties, including Fine Gael and Sinn Féin councilors.
•  Another migrant vessel sank between Libya and Malta this weekend, killing at least 20 would-be immigrants. German newspaper, the Frankfurter Rundschau, is reporting that the Italian government has reacted and presented a new immigration law to curtail immigration but de-criminalize the attempt to land on Italian shore. Romano Prodi’s coalition government is also proposing to get rid of the obligatory language test introduced by the previous conservative government under Silvio Berlusconi. Instead, the new law introduces the concept of “sponsors” which commit themselves to guaranteeing a job or financial support to allow a new migrant legal status. In addition, the government wants to end the mandatory detention of illegal immigrants. Only violent or uncooperative migrants are to be detained in the future and financial aid offered to facilitate the return of those migrants not accorded the temporary right to stay. The opposition led by Berlusconi has announced to fight this new legal proposal. We will cover this story and add English links as soon as they become available.
• The European Council on Refugees and Exiles has published its memorandum to the Portuguese EU Presidency, recalling the priorities toward creating a Common European Asylum System by 2010.