The drowning of about 700 migrants in the Mediterranean this week is a tragedy that should never be repeated. Yet this is just the latest in a series of incidents that have claimed the lives of more than 1,600 people trying to get to Europe. With the chaos in Libya making it an attractive launching point for illegal migration and few significant deterrents, further tragedies seem inevitable.
These drownings are merely a symptom of a much bigger problem. This is a population drift from poor and chaotic countries to rich and developed ones. From the US-Mexico border to the new wall separating Bulgaria from Turkey, we have seen attempts to keep illegal immigrants out but despite the deployment of sophisticated surveillance technology and high walls, the flow of migrants increases by the day.
Solving the migration problem is far from straightforward and demands a multi-pronged approach extending across international borders. Some in Europe advocate letting these boats sink, with prospective migrants being deterred by the high likelihood of death. This strategy is both heartless and unsuccessful, as is clear from the numbers willing to make the journey despite the risks.
In the short term, more air and sea patrols are needed from across the European Union. Last year, the EU scaled back the Mare Nostrum marine rescue programme that had saved 130,000 people in 2014 after Italy announced that it didn’t have the funds to continue to run the programme without assistance. Put simply, this problem is too big for any single country to face. After all, we are talking about patrolling much of Europe’s Mediterranean coastline. Given the size of the area that migrants are trying to breach, it is nearly impossible to end migration outright through heavy-handed maritime enforcement.
Those fleeing either conflict or economic hardship are drawn to better prospects in the West despite the risks of drowning in the Mediterranean or dying of thirst in the deserts of New Mexico. The European Union and the United States must recognise these underlying causes for people to make harrowing journeys.
Ultimately ending the root causes of this flow of migrants will require strategies for bringing prosperity to the developing world and this will be a pressing issue for future generations.
