Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 10 July 2018

US, Europe clamp down on migration even as arrivals drop

By KARL RITTER to make the perilous cross-
Associated Press ing is dwindling. Sea arriv-
ROME (AP) — As NATO al- als in Italy were already
lies convene, one issue not down by 80 percent when
on their formal agenda the new government took
but never far from their office. Across the Medi-
thoughts is immigration — terranean, about 45,000
even though illegal border migrants arrived by sea in
crossings are decreasing Italy, Greece and Spain in
on both sides of the Atlan- the first half of the year, ac-
tic. cording to the U.N. refugee
The separation of families agency. That’s the lowest
at the U.S.-Mexico border level since 2013 and down
and Italy’s refusal to let from about 100,000 in the
shipwrecked migrants dis- same period last year. So
embark in its ports illustrate far this year, 1,400 migrants
the hardening positions on are believed to have died
border control in Washing- trying to cross the Mediter-
ton and European capitals. ranean.
Lost in the heated politi- Even German Chancel-
cal debate is the fact that lor Angela Merkel, who re-
migrant arrivals in Europe fused to close Germany’s
across the Mediterranean borders at the height of the
from Africa and Turkey are In this June 12, 2018 file photo, Italian Coast Guard approaches the French NGO “SOS Mediterranee” migrant crisis in 2015, has
at their lowest level in five Aquarius ship as migrants are being transferred, in the Mediterranean Sea. toughened her stance. To
years, while arrests on the Associated Press salvage her government
U.S.-Mexico border — an In Europe, the liberal immi- remained since. other EU nations to grapple from a rift over migration,
imperfect but widely used gration policies that many “2015 fundamentally with the issue of sea arrivals, she has agreed to set up
gauge of illegal crossings governments implemented changed Europe. But it is which have placed a dis- transit centers to process
— are far below levels seen until recently never had hard to know how big a proportionate burden on migrants and potentially
two decades ago. widespread popular sup- change is when you still Mediterranean countries in turn them away at the
“The numbers don’t sup- port, said Ivar Arpi, a con- are in the middle of it,” dealing with those seeking Austrian border. German
port the hysteria,” said Joel servative editorial writer at Arpi said. “Nationalism or a new life in Europe. Things police recorded fewer
Millman, a spokesman for Swedish newspaper Sven- globalism, this is the new came to a head when than 5,000 illegal crossings
the Geneva, Switzerland- ska Dagbladet. But be- divide between people. It League leader Matteo Sal- of that border in January-
based International Orga- cause Europeans cared trumps left-right.” vini, Italy’s interior minister May, compared with more
nization for Migration. “Poli- more about other issues, Immigration is a major and deputy prime minister, than 60,000 in the same pe-
ticians know what moves such as the economy or theme ahead of Sweden’s closed Italian ports to pri- riod in 2016.
voters, and this is extremely education, there was no elections in September, just vate ships picking up mi- Guy Verhofstadt, a former
effective in moving voters.” serious backlash. as it has been in a series of grants sailing from North Af- Belgian prime minister and
In both the U.S. and Europe, That changed in 2015, European votes in the past rica in flimsy boats, saying current president of an alli-
immigration is increasingly when 1 million people — two years, including Britain’s those volunteer rescuers ance of liberals in the Euro-
a key political fault line. most of them from Syria, referendum on leaving the act as de facto “taxi servic- pean Parliament, last week
One side accuses those Iraq and Afghanistan — EU. Far-right and anti-mi- es” for human smuggling ridiculed concerns over
cracking down on illegal crossed into Europe from grant parties have made networks. As a result, two what he referred to as a
immigration of scapegoat- Turkey and used the lack of gains in Austria, France and rescue vessels have had to “so-called” crisis.
ing immigrants for problems border controls in the Euro- Germany, while Hungary’s carry rescued migrants on “Why I am saying so-called?
such as crime and unem- pean Union to roam freely Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a much longer journey to Because I don’t think it is a
ployment, even when the from the Balkans into Aus- known for his tough stance Spain, and another spent real migration crisis what
correlation is weak. The tria and onward to Germa- on migrants, easily won re- days in limbo off Malta until we are living in Europe for
other side says politicians ny and Scandinavia. That election in April. European countries agreed the moment,” he told the
are simply recognizing vot- surge and the pressures Just weeks after taking of- to share the responsibility assembly, noting that the
ers’ concerns about na- it put on the destination fice in Italy’s coalition gov- for the more than 200 peo- flow is a tiny fraction of the
tional identity and poor countries pushed migration ernment, the League — a ple on board. 68 million displaced people
integration that have long to the top of Europe’s po- party vowing to put “Ital- The crackdown comes as worldwide, according to
been ignored. litical agenda, where it has ians first” — has forced the number of those trying U.N. figures.q