Why Europe should bear the brunt of illegal migrations

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“It’s not a border crisis, it’s a plot. It’s not immigration, it’s an invasion. It isn’t spontaneous, it’s coordinated. Western civilisation will be gone within a generation. Our grandkids will hate us,” End Wokeness, a handle on X, formerly Twitter, posted a few weeks ago.

The handle was reacting to a video of migrants jumping off boats upon reaching the point of disembarkation in one of the European countries. Whoever is behind it wasn’t pleased by the scene – they definitely were wondering what had become of the Western world. The number of migrants heading to Europe alone keeps increasing, though many don’t make it to the final destination.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there have been over 100,000 irregular arrivals to Europe by sea from Africa in the first nine months of 2023. This is a significant increase from the previous year, when there were an estimated 50,000 illegal African migrants into Europe.

The number of migrants is made up largely of sub-Saharan Africans who are desperate to flee the continent. The vast majority of illegal African migrants arrive in Europe by sea, crossing the Mediterranean in overcrowded and unsafe boats. Many of these migrants drown during the crossing.

Tunisia in North Africa is now the launch pad for the majority of migrants who take the risk-laden journey across the Mediterranean Sea. 

Many of these Africans risk it all for several reasons. Some are fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. Others are seeking better economic opportunities or access to better education and healthcare.

The post from the End Wokeness handle attracted huge engagement; some people weren’t happy with what they saw, while others tried to reason about the issue and what might have caused the influx of migrants.

A handle under the name Wall Street Silver said, “If the government was at all interested in stopping this, they would be sinking those boats so they can't be used again. Create expenses for them, and it will slow them down or bring it to a stop entirely.”

Sinking those boats!!? Whoever they are, they definitely want a stop to the “invasion” of Africans into Europe; they would do anything to stop it.

One of the responses I liked was from Dr Ikenna Uwanuakwa. He said, “Most Europeans know only about illegal immigrants, but not about the factors that lead to illegal immigration into their country. I will never enter any country illegally, and I do not support illegal immigration.

However, this level of illegal immigration would not exist if Europeans did right by the countries of immigrants. Take Niger, for example. Niger is a major source of energy for France, yet Niger itself lacks energy. I do not see the immigration problem going away. It will continue until equity is restored between Europe and the countries of immigrants. No one wants to leave the comfort of their home country.”

I believe Dr Uwanuakwa’s thoughts resonate with most Africans. It has been said over and over again; most Africans move with hope for a better life for themselves and the families they have left behind. They want to live the Western world dream, back home, it's bleak.

Since gaining independence decades ago, the situation in almost every African country is still volatile. Poor governance, poverty, economic inequality, and political persecution among many reasons.

Putting that aside, are African countries really independent? We can barely survive without aid from the global north, and you know what that means, the masters of aid will dictate how you run your affairs. The colonialists might have left here physically, but they have a watchful eye over us, scripting almost everything on how we run our affairs.

Our independence has mainly been determined politically by the leaders we elect, but not economically – it’s only a few elites that enjoy the pool of economic empowerment and the rest pick crumbs.

There is no bigger oppression than poverty. If the only hope left is going to that one place, I know I could turn around my misfortunes into fortunes, so why shouldn’t I take it? No matter the risk, many Africans are willing to take it just to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The number of Africans who perish while trying to illegally migrate to Europe is heart-wrenching. In the first nine months of 2023, there have been over 1,400 people reported dead or missing on the Central Mediterranean route, which is the deadliest migration route in the world.

Many of the boats that migrants use are unsafe and overcrowded, and the Mediterranean Sea can be treacherous. Migrants are also at risk of being exploited by traffickers or being stranded at sea.

But has this stopped Africans from trying to illegally migrate into Europe? No. In fact, this year, the number just doubled despite the tragedies that come with it. What does this tell you? People are desperate and will try everything just to make life less hard.

Until the root causes of migration are addressed, many Africans will keep striving to get to the promised land. It is also important to remember that the vast majority of migrants who arrive in Europe are fleeing violence and hardship in their home countries. They are seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

US migration crisis

The migration crisis is not only limited to Europe. The United States is also suffering the same crisis, especially under the Joe Biden administration, which has been more lenient to migrants compared to Donald Trump’s administration.

The United States is facing a migration crisis, with a record number of migrants crossing the southern border in recent months.

In the past, most of the migrants entering the U.S. or apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were coming from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. In the last few months, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have noticed a change. Now the majority are fleeing Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there were over 211,000 migrant encounters at the southwest border in the first six months of 2023, a significant increase from the same period last year, when there were just over 100,000 migrant encounters.

The U.S. Border Patrol arrested at least 91,000 migrants who crossed as part of a family group in August, exceeding the prior one-month record of 84,486 set in May 2019. The Border Patrol made more than 177,000 arrests along the Mexico border in August, up from 132,652 in July and 99,539 in June.

The latest CBP data show more than 50,000 migrants were processed in August at U.S. border crossings, where the Biden administration is allowing up to 1,450 per day to schedule an appointment to enter the country lawfully using a mobile app. That increased the total number of migrants encountered by CBP at the southern border in August — at legal crossings or elsewhere — to about 230,000, the highest one-month total this calendar year.

The Biden administration is facing pressure from both Democrats and Republicans to address the migration crisis. Democrats are urging the administration to take a more humane approach to immigration, while Republicans are calling for stricter border security measures.

Just Like the Africans, the vast majority of these migrants are fleeing violence, poverty, and economic inequality in their home countries. They are seeking a better life in the United States.

A case in point is Haiti, which is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, plunged Haiti into further chaos. The country is struggling with widespread poverty, violence, and political instability. And for Venezuelans, apart from the domestic political crisis and a weakened economy, the strict US-led economic sanctions have led them to migrate.

The migration problem won’t cease so soon, in fact, it might only get worse. Countries, especially in the global south, need to be empowered to stand on their own. Just like Europe, the US is partly to blame for this crisis. They have to learn to live with the monster they made.

The writer is a journalist