Migrants and refugees: a complex, delicate and urgent problem

The months of unrest across the whole Mideast – North African region has aggravated the already difficult situation of people seeking to reach European shores, whether in search of work or in flight from war and oppression. While most of those who are clearly economic migrants are Tunisians taking advantage of the unrest and consequent lack of border policing to make an attempt at a crossing, there are beginning to be more and more people fleeing the unrest in places like Libya. Many of these had sought refuge and work in North Africa from places like Somalia and others in the Horn of Africa.

Professor of International Relations at The American University of Rome, James Walston told Vatican Radio the distinction between migrants and refugees is an important legal one that is often extremely difficult to make in practice. “There are different obligations to refugees than there are towards immigrants,” Walston explained, “and so a lot of people do say they are refugees and that they come from [e.g.] Somalia or Eritrea, when in fact they don’t. So, the difficulties have not been in the legal definition, but in the practical acceptance of whether individuals A, B and C are indeed refugees.”

The legalities of the issue have raised tensions among European neighbors in other ways, as well.

Italy has been giving temporary residence permits to many of the roughly 26,000 Tunisians who have gone to Italy to escape unrest in northern Africa in recent weeks. Many of the Tunisians have family ties or friends in France, and the Italian government says the permits should allow the Tunisians to go there under accords allowing visa-free travel among many European countries.

France says it will honor the permits only if the migrants prove they can financially support themselves and it has instituted patrols on the Italian border – a move that is without precedent since the introduction of the Schengen free-travel zone. Germany has
said it would do the same.

France and Italy have agreed to joint sea-and-air patrols to block any new North African migrants from sailing to destinations including Italy's southernmost point, the tiny Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, though there has been as yet no announcement regarding when joint patrols would begin.

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his concern over the situation of migrants, especially after an incident earlier this month in which a boat carrying 300 people from North Africa to Italy capsized in rough seas. Only about 50 people were rescued some 40 miles off the Italian coast, with the remaining unaccounted for and presumed dead. The pope has promised continuing prayers for all people, “who lose their lives in the terrible journey to flee the poverty, injustice and violence afflicting them."

Listen to Chris Altieri's interview with AUR Prof. James Walston: