Illegal immigration in Europe has been a growing concern in recent years due to the economic, and political crisis faced in the nearby developing/undeveloped nations who seek a better life in Europe but don’t have the funds to do so to come through the legal route, instead illegally cross treacherous seas and in the process many lose their lives.
But once they make it to the European shore they seek asylum claiming that their lives are at risk in their home country, most of them get asylum through fake documents and create societies and ghettos in the countries where they lead their new lives displacing the native people and many of them generally have a criminal past in their home country and upon reaching Europe resort to criminal practices and act which they were accused of back in their home country. The main reason why Illegal immigration takes place in Europe is because many developing nations are embroiled in civil unrest and also due to the conflicts in the Middle East, people flee to Europe and look forward to a better life which Europe has to offer, but the influx of illegal immigrants has drastically increased crime and gave rise to a host of various other issues.
Challenges posed by Illegal Immigration
In Serbia, most refugees and migrants are living in derelict warehouses behind Belgrade’s main railway station.
North African immigrants face the challenge of integrating into European society because they have grown up in a different and more conservative environment, hence there are clashes between the residents and immigrants, which often leads to them being ostracized and excluded from communities and policies meant for the upliftment and benefit of the people, which results in them unable to access basic facilities and healthcare.
Violence and drug abuse and rape are prevalent in areas where immigrants have settled illegally in makeshift housing due to the difficult conditions and the lack of basic facilities puts them in a difficult position with the local authorities. However, it is important to note that not all immigrants resort to violence, rape, and drugs to gain control of an area and create a small community that resembles their home country, among the thousands of migrants who cross into Europe often are extremists from different Islamic jihadist groups who are staunch believers of Islam and have an intolerant attitude towards people who believe in other faiths.
Causes of Illegal Immigration
The main cause of illegal immigration is because most of Western Europe was a colonial power at one point in time and they colonized almost the entire world due to the colonial extractive policies of draining the resources of a country and shipping it back to Europe for the development of Europeans has led to the current immigration crisis which Europe is facing. It is safe to say that modern Western Europe was built from the spoils of its colonial colonies like India, Africa, and others.
To prevent further immigration which is destroying the economies of Western Europe the the European Union should focus o making policies that aim to ease the current ongoing crisis in Northern Africa and have a stricter policy against Immigration, the current administration in many liberal Western Europe are pro Immigration and their supporters are welcoming Immigrants with open arms, but what they fail to understand is that due to illegal immigration the demographic trends are taking a dangerous trend and the local ethnic majority are being pushed into the minority category because of influx of immigrants who obtain asylum and become citizens of the country while contributing next to nothing to the economy. This alarming demographic trend is going to have disastrous consequences for the pro-immigration political parties because the rise in illegal Immigration leads to violence, vandalism, sexual assault, and drug abuse due to which the local ethnic people of the region are dissatisfied with the current administration and vote for the right-wing political parties who are extremely anti-immigration, and take a strict stand against illegal immigrants, for example, Italy has elected its first female Prime Minister whose party finds inspiration from Benito Mussolini who was an ally of Hitler and an fascist.
Ultimately Illegal immigration is a complex issue and has no easy solution, if Europe wants to stay relevant and not turn into a basket case like many countries in the world it has to take a stricter stance against immigration and be willing to do the right thing regardless of whether it is politically correct or not.
