European border clampdowns fail to deter Tunisians seeking better life

Young Tunisians prefer to have a life of misery in Europe rather than in North Africa, say those preparing to cross Mediterranean and become illegal immigrants, as they look to the porous borders of countries such as Montenegro.

LE KRAM // The shores of Italy and the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, 200 kilometres south of Sicily, no longer attract Jamel as the first landing for his next illegal crossing in search of a European dream.
The 36-year-old Tunisian, a veteran of numerous secret sailings from Africa, says he will head for more porous borders in his bid for a better life.
"Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia," Jamel says on the shore near Le Kram, on the coast of Tunisia, as boats head out into the Mediterranean behind him.
Like others planning new lives in Europe, his determination is undimmed by talk of stricter border controls after a wave of illegal immigrants this year. Among the European proposals is a cutting back of its passport-free Schengen zone.
"I don't care about Lampedusa. I don't care about Schengen," Jamel says. "I have a goal that I want to reach - to emigrate, find a job, have lots of money and live like everyone else."
Jamel's numerous clandestine crossings have landed him in jails in Turkey, Greece, Egypt and Morocco.
He also bears the scars on his stomach of self-inflicted cuts made to force his release from a Libyan prison so he could get back to Tunisia.
Even so, he is undeterred in his aim to reach France. "At least in Europe, I can really live," he says.
And Italy is not the only way into Europe. "Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Bulgaria are easy borders," he says.
Jamel was among thousands of Tunisians who arrived illegally in Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than mainland Europe, after the toppling of Tunisia's president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in January. Most later left for France, raising tensions between Rome and Paris and highlighting concerns about the European Union's immigration policies and absence of controls.
Proposals to close the gaps were discussed at an EU meeting in Brussels yesterday. These include a controversial plan to restore border controls in the Schengen area. The Schengen treaty of 1985, a symbol of European unity, allows passport-free travel in 22 EU nations plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
The European odyssey of many Tunisians ends in Paris, mainly in outlying suburbs where they sleep on old mattresses along defunct railway lines.
For Zied, as for most would-be immigrants, the changes in Tunisia "don't mean anything".
"The government makes promises without doing anything concrete. We are still unemployed and we are still marginalised," he says.
Mahmoud, in his 50s, says he chose to leave Italy after 20 years living illegally in Naples when he was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug trafficking.
Young Tunisians would "prefer to have a life of misery in Europe than in Tunisia", he says.
Of the estimated 20,000 Tunisians who arrived in Lampedusa illegally, he says: "In my opinion 10,000 are going to go to prison, 6,000 will go home and only 4,000 will succeed with their plan."
Another determined migrant, Mohamed Saleh Cherif, says he was adrift at sea for four days before being rescued with other survivors after a boat carrying 103 men sank on its way to Italy.
"But if I find money, I will not hesitate for a minute to secretly immigrate," he says. "I am ready for anything because there is no hope in Tunisia".