Early this morning, I read a draft bill currently being debated by the Italian Parliament, introduced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, aimed at curbing migration from the South to the North. The proposal includes the imposition of a “naval blockade” against undocumented migrants, a measure rejected by various human rights organizations. Yet the French far right applauded it, as they in turn are preparing the ground for presidential elections in which a nationalist right-wing candidate could win.
Naturally, we in the South are directly concerned by Northern measures, because it is we who bear the responsibility of dealing with the risky venture of irregular migration from our coasts and lands.
Each time, we find ourselves caught between the hammer and the anvil: either we satisfy the North at the expense of our sovereignty, or we satisfy the South at the expense of our relations. And many in the North—Italy included—fail to understand how Algerian youth migrate illegally to Europe, even though their country is rich in both human and material resources.
In Canada, they have halted the intake of new legal immigrants and imposed strict conditions for admission. In many countries, borders are being closed to those who dream of a better reality. And I do not know what kind of “paradise” they are seeking in the North, which is threatened on all sides: by Russia in the East, and by America and its fluctuations in the West—aside from lifestyles that clash with our values, and the spiral of taxes in all their forms and labels.
The fact remains that, up to this day, we have not succeeded in reducing this dangerous phenomenon. We raise and educate people, only for our human capital to leave for others, strengthening their ranks and increasing their power and influence over us, of course.
We still address irregular migration in an insufficient manner. We must enact deterrent laws, hold parents accountable toward their children, and ease the investment climate to absorb the largest possible share of the workforce. Likewise, all actors in the field must work to dissuade potential irregular migrants from their intentions, build bridges of dialogue and employment with them, and raise their awareness of the risks awaiting them.
In short, the one who flees his country is not a hero. Italy is serious about stopping the human flow toward its islands and territory, and that is its sovereign right. We too are obliged—by virtue of our civilizational and national responsibilities—to tackle, in a serious manner, a problem that has now come to constitute a security threat in the North.
