Migration Is About Opportunities Not Sacrifices

My mother and I were seating at a coffee shop this past Saturday in Oslo when this young man overheard us speaking our Tunisian dialect. He kindly interrupted to ask if we were Tunisians. I confirmed. He then asked me if this was my mother with me. I acquiesced. He replied "It's been 14 years since I have seen my mother. I was 17 the last time I hold her in my arms."

This young man was an undocumented migrant who had left Tunisia 14 years ago on a dinghy after paying smugglers several thousands euros. After a perilous journey in which he came close to drowning, he eventually reached Sicily. After a few years in Italy and Sweden, he settled in Norway where he has been living with the constant fear of being arrested and deported.

In fact, one day, he got stopped by the Norwegian police and authorities sought to deport him. It appears that the Tunisian Embassy refused to identify him as a Tunisian citizen and therefore it could not be deported. As an alternative, Norway offered him a "bonus" of USD 1200 to return voluntarily to Tunisia, He refused because his income earned here has allowed him to support his family back in Tunisia and helped prevent his younger brothers to follow his footsteps. "What are these 10,000 kroner are going to do to me? I have sacrificed so much already," he went on.

This young man misses home. He misses his mother. He has been looked down upon and treated like a criminal at times. Yet, he is ready to endure all of these as long as he can guarantee a decent life to his family back home. Unfortunately, the immigration system in Europe has condemned several thousands undocumented migrants to live in hiding while offering very few safe alternatives for them to become net contributors to our societies.

European countries should reconsider their current responses to migration to a balanced approach - one that protects people and promotes the benefits associated with migration for host countries, countries of origin and the migrants and their families. 

The claim that opening borders would lead to mass migration - mainly put forward by fearmongers and nativists- is unfounded primarily because migration flows are very hard to predict. However, throughout history there is a general tendency to over-predict flows, leading to irrational fears and subsequently decisions. In fact, most of migration is a “south-south” migration. For instance, in West Africa – which has been a region of focus for the EU to limit migratory flows – it is estimated that 84% of migration movements are directed towards another country in the region. 

So far, European countries have been “responding” to migration flows instead of managing them. By overlooking the importance of migration policies that would generate benefits while guaranteeing safety and protection for those who need them, European countries have been operating in panic mode.

European countries can still change the course of things by:

• shifting away from a narrative of crisis and emergency to a more pragmatic and sober message and no longer presenting migration as a threat but instead to recognize its benefits while putting in places policies to reap the benefits of migration.
• improving access to international protection in Europe for those fleeing conflict and persecution, including through humanitarian visas, more flexible family reunification policies and resettlement. When EU countries ask third countries with terrible human rights record –Libya, Sudan - to secure their borders by holding migrants back, international protection is no longer guaranteed.
• creating more and varied channels for regular labor migration. Member states must commit to broadening their labour-migration policies beyond selected highly skilled sectors and create accessible options for migration across sectors, both temporary and permanent.
• not using development aid to reduce irregular migration because it is corrupting the main purpose of aid development of eradicating poverty and reducing inequality. The success of development policies should be measured only in terms of improvements in people’s lives – and not against the numbers of people crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. Additionally, there is no evidence that providing development aid to countries of origin reduces irregular migration.
• placing the protection of human lives at the center of their policies and therefore undertaking search and rescue operations with the sole objective of saving lives without the aim of returning migrants or breaking up smuggler rings. In additional, NGOs and/or members of the civil society conducting search and rescue operations because EU states are failing to comply with their international legal obligations should not be arrested and prosecuted for saving lives.

Migration is a complex phenomenon and as long as our leaders do not develop evidence-based policies, migrants will continue to risk their lives and suffer while fearmongers’ voices will become louder. Needless to say that EU tax payers will continue to see their money wasted on obscure deals sealed with third countries. (And God knows what this money is used for!)

*This article reflects my personal opinions and not of my employer.