Europe’s Constantly Rising Immigration Crisis
Throughout history there has always been conflict and disagreement between countries or different groups of people. It is human nature to become defensive or dispute over a certain issue. Sometimes the smallest outburst or action can snowball into something bigger. The result of this can have dire consequences. For decades the people of the Middle East have been experiencing a series of wars and a constant thread of fear. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported this year alone over 350,000 migrants from the Middle East and Africa have migrated to Europe in hopes of a promising future. (Migrant Crisis) This huge migration has not only caused problems in Europe, but has seemed to capture the entire world’s attention. The USA also has a small part in this issue; U.S. officials have been debating whether or not to let refugees into the country. While the decision remains unsolved, the burden mainly belongs to European countries. Hungary, Germany, Austria and Greece are among many of Europe’s nations to face the immigration crisis. Many European countries are refusing to help the migrants and are even kicking them out. Others, such as Germany are helping the refugees and are even looking to hire new workers and grant asylum. I wholeheartedly believe that no one should be treated poorly under any circumstance. However, I acknowledge that the migration crisis in Europe cannot be solved so easily.
Many individuals are not aware of what granting asylum actually means. In order for migrants to be granted asylum, they must prove to the country’s officials that they are facing persecution and if sent back to their own country they may be in harm’s way and could potentially face punishment such as death. Anyone who desires asylum status has the ability to access food, medical assistance and even shelter under European law. If a migrant is successful in gaining this status they are put to work within the first 9 months of arrival into the country. Currently, Germany is seeking workers who specialize in mathematics, information, natural sciences and technology (“MINT”). Since the migration Germany has reviewed those individuals hoping to get the position. Fortunately, Germany [excluding the Eastern side] has accepted thousands of MINT workers and this has skyrocketed the labor force. Not only does this bring in profit, but the increase of young MINT workers counterbalances with the old and retired.
Unfortunately, not everyone supports the immigration. Protesters in Eastern Germany have held mass Anti-Islam and far-right activist rallies under the name PEGIDA. PEGIDA stands for Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West. The xenophobia in Eastern Germany is highly fueled and the German government asserts there have been nearly “500 attacks on homes intended for asylum seekers this year- three times more than in 2014.” (BBC) Though the rate of attacks on immigrants in Germany has risen, this isn’t the worst of the situation. In Hungary, the riot police have been treating the Syrians and Africans poorly. Hungarian law officials have used tear gas and water cannons on the migrants. They have also built barbed wire fences and walls as an attempt to keep additional migrants out. Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesman for the Hungarian government argued “…an armed mob of a couple hundreds of people are trying to enter Hungarian territory without any kind of permit,” he then continued with “these are young males, armed with sticks and stones who tor[e] away the gate…during the night, and they are…trying to break through.” (CNN) Kovacs asserts Hungarian police acted on behalf of the migrants actions.
Tension is boiling in Europe and Serbia couldn’t be anymore ashamed of Hungary’s actions. CNN was notified from Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Prime Minister, that the Hungarian border event was a “huge embarrassment for Serbia.” (CNN) As a result of the fiasco, Syrian migrants took an alternative route to their destination through Croatia. The Croatian police claimed to have arrested about 373 migrants for crossing the eastern border unlawfully. (CNN) However, they have decided to treat the refugees with humanitarian respect, unlike their Hungarian counterparts. Unfortunately, danger lies ahead for the many migrants who are traveling through Croatia. There are an estimated “51,000 mines… buried as remnants of the Balkan Wars in the wake of Yugoslavia’s collapse in the 1990’s” as reported by The Croatian Mine Action Centre. (CNN) Signs were put up in place as a warning to travelers about the mines.
The world has not faced a migrant crisis this big since World War II. Though it seems Europe is unsure of how to solve the problem, many countries are doing their best to find a solution. In the United States there have been recent debates on whether refugees should be brought into the country or not. Many cannot help but feel sympathetic for the refugees but others feel it might be better for the U.S. to not get involved. American lawmakers expressed “President Obama’s decision to allow 10,000 refugees to be brought to the United States will put the country in danger.” (CBN) It is uncertain whether the acceptance of migrants would initiate danger, yet the fear of a potential terrorist attack still lingers on U.S. soil. The leader of Al Qaeda made it clear that “young Muslim men [would]… carry out lone wolf attacks in America and other Western countries.” (CBN)
Words cannot express how much stress the migrant crisis has put on countries worldwide. A problem such as this takes time and critical thinking to solve. Even so, an issue such as this can never be completely unraveled. The migrant situation of today will remain significant to history worldwide. Hope remains for all the refugees trying to escape from the clutches of evil. I anticipate that at some point the migrants will be able to settle somewhere and be rid of worry and fear. To an extent it may sound sugar coated, yet I stand firm when I say that no one should have to deal with the hardships and hate the refugees are experiencing.
Works Cited
Burke, Caitlin. "Allowing Refugees in US an Open Door to Terror?" CBNNEWS. Christian Broadcasting Network, 14 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/September/Allowing-Refugees-in-US-an-Open-Door-to-Terror/>.
Llana, Sara Miller. "Seeking Refuge: Five Lessons from Europe's Migration Crisis." csmonitor. the Christian Science Monitor, 26 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2015/0826/Seeking-Refuge-Five-lessons-from-Europe-s-migration-crisis>.
"Migrant Crisis: Germany Considers 'Transit Zones' on Borders." BBC. British Broadcasting Corporation, 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/34515448>.
Sarmadi, Dario. "Immigrants Boost Germany's Skilled Labour Force." Trans. Erika Korner. EurActiv.com. EurActiv.com, 22 May 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://www.euractiv.com/sections/innovation-industry/immigrants-boost-germanys-skilled-labour-force-314781>.
"Why Is EU Struggling with Migrants and Asylum?" BBC. British Broadcasting Corporation, 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286>.
Yan, Holly, et al. "Refugee Crisis: Hungary Uses Tear Gas, Water Cannons on Migrants at Border." CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/16/world/europe-migrant-crisis/>.