Illegal immigration
The Arab Spring nations for the
most part have failed to put a halt to the economic and social problems
plaguing the Middle East. On the contrary, they seem to have exacerbated social
class differences, and increased both unemployment and poverty. This has had a
direct effect on the increased immigration through illegal channels either to
Arab or European states. The common goal is to seek a better chance at life and
look for a safe haven to avoid the security crises in the region. This seems to
be an issue that will continue through 2015 and is set to further increase due
to citizens having increased motives to leave their countries behind.
A Widespread Phenomenon
There has been a dramatic
increase of the phenomenon of illegal immigration in the Arab states. This is
in both case of being Arab-to-Arab and Arab-to-European immigration. Despite an
absence of a formal estimate on the numbers of immigrants, unofficial reports
and estimates have remained the primary source for determining the size and
reasoning behind the spread. The phenomenon is no longer limited to a single
nation but rather an entire region; it has increased in to include Egypt,
Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Morocco. It is also common amongst African states
that use the Arab states, especially Mediterranean countries, as a transit
point to Europe.
According to some statistics and
estimates from official western sources, the numbers of immigrants that have reached
Europe number are over 140,000 from 2011 until mid-2014. In Tunisia, the number
of youths taking part in illegal immigration since the start of the Jasmine
Revolution has reached approximately 60,000, 80% of who were part of poverty
stricken areas. According to recent statistics published by the Tunisian Forum
for Economic and Social Rights, 18% of illegal immigrants hold university
degrees, 10% are female, and the majority of these trips begin at staging
points along the Tunisian coast. At the head of these staging points are
Girgieus, Safakes and El Mansateer, with the Island of Lampdosa as the
destination.
Egypt suffers from the spread of
this phenomenon, primarily in the form of land immigration to neighbouring Arab
states such as Libya through Saloum, despite the warnings issued by the Foreign
Ministry of not traveling to Libya. The issue of tabulating accurate numbers on
illegal immigrants is difficult, but the number of people captured can be used
as a yardstick. For instance, in 2014 border guards were able to stop a total
of 14,690 cases of attempted border crossings, which is a substantial number
when compared with other nations. Egypt also suffers from immigration via the
Mediterranean to European states, especially Italy and Greece, from staging
points such as Alexandria. There are a large number of trips being made;
however, boats tend to capsize, which has left behind a large number of dead
and missing.It is important to note that a larger percentage of Egyptian
illegal immigrants come from poorer provinces, especially Fayoum, Beni Suief,
Menia and Assuit. This further confirms the link between increased poverty
rates and illegal immigration.
Algeria is also considered an
example of the increased rates of illegal immigration, as the coast guard
exerts a daily effort to stem these attempts. The Algerian coast guard recently
rescued 20 people on a boat 15 miles away from the shores of the Mostaghnem
province. The majority of the main staging points for illegal immigration are
centred on the coast of Wahran.
Morocco is also considered to be
one of the largest exporters of illegal immigrants, since it is considered to
be both a receiving nation and transit point for all African states to Europe.
These states are mostly from south of the Sahara, notably Cameroon, Mali and
Nigeria. According to statistics from the government of Morocco, the numbers of
illegal immigrants living on its soil are between 25,000 and 40,000; most are
centred in a number of camps around the areas of El Ahrash and Mount Gorogo.
Two Main Trends:
The previous revolutionary phases
have uncovered two main patterns regarding illegal immigration, which are:
Internal Illegal Immigration: This is spread through the trend of human migration from some
states that are experiencing worsening economic and security situations to
neighbouring states. This is a pattern spread amongst Egyptian workers who,
despite the threatening security situation, cross the border with Libya looking
for a chance to work. This is due to the increased control of armed groups in
Libya over vast territories, which makes the situation worse than before. This
trend is also becoming common amongst Libyans who are seeking safe haven in
Tunisia. Meanwhile, in Yemen, the trend is also spreading with an outward look
towards the Gulf States.
External Illegal Immigration: This is represented by the immigration of citizens of North
African states to European states via the Mediterranean. Almost all of these
movements end in failure, as the boats capsize, taking with them the immigrants
on board. These movements have earned the nickname, “The Boats or Trips of
Death,” even though the main motivation behind these trips is to seek better
economic conditions and a better life.
Possible Future Scenarios:
In regard to the future of the
illegal immigration phenomenon there seems to be two possible scenarios: First
is the continued increase of illegal immigration from Arab states, despite
repeated failures, due to the continued factors that encourage illegal
immigration. The continued reduction of development levels and the increased
poverty rates, in accordance with the worldwide poverty line, as well as the
continued lack of stability in the security field are the main factors.
The second scenario is that the
situation will remain the same, where this phenomenon cannot disappear,
especially considering the large criminal rings that operate these movements.
The inability of security forces, whether on the receiving end or the traveling
end, to end this phenomenon completely is another way, which will keep the
situation unchanged.
In conclusion, the Arab Spring has not yet achieved the desired
results in reference to the economy or the social sector, especially in the
case of social justice and increasing the standard of living. This is
considered to be the main motive behind illegal immigration, however despite
these factors there is still a way to reduce this phenomenon: First, solving
the main reasons for immigration in the first place especially the economic and
security situations in a fully fledged and all encompassing strategy. Secondly,
to expand the areas of coordination between the security forces of the
receiving states and the sending states, for example, to tackle criminal
immigration rings and related groups. Then as a preliminary step to completely
wipe them out, decrease their size indefinitely. Finally, governments need to
take drastic measures to raise awareness levels regarding the dangers behind
illegal immigration in order to help put a stop to it.
