The surge of Iraqi, Iranian, Syrian and now even Libyan immigrants onto Maltese and Italian shores has created a humanitarian crisis of the first order, posing major challenges for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his Italian counterpart. This tragic situation is making it far harder for both prime ministers to pursue immigration reforms.

Immigrants have been flocking to reach Italy, some unaccompanied and others with their families. Their numbers have risen sharply, badly straining detention centres by over-crowding and the system that processes them.

Violence at home by terrorists, persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, grinding poverty or widespread sexual exploitation is leading these immigrants to our shores where they expect lenient treatment. The greatest dangers facing them as they try to flee their country are rape, robbery or even death.

Unfortunately, many of these migrant visitors have drowned while attempting to reach their destination. The hardship these innocent people endure, the sacrifices they make to flee their homes, the misery they find themselves in if and when they succeed in reaching their destination is totally unacceptable – but no one seems to care.

Both the Maltese and Italian Prime Ministers have repeatedly asked the EU to intervene. Following a recent meeting in Brussels between Malta’s Home Affairs Minister and Italy’s Interior Minister on this crisis, the EU Commission announced its intention to launch a new mission in November, called Frontex Plus, to assist the Italian Navy in its ongoing operation Mare Nostrum. However, this anti-migration mission has been met with scepticism by observers in Malta and Italy.

The sole aim of the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs is to complement the Italian mission come November and not to establish new detention facilities to ease the load on the existing centres! More border surveillance is of the utmost importance, of course, but if the Italians decide to stop the ongoing operation Mare Nostrum to allow Frontex to take over, the flow of immigration will continue as before because Frontex has neither the tools nor the funds to take over this mission alone.

Deportation should never be on the agenda.

Jos Edmond Zarb

Birkirkara