The most common headlines one sees today are those concerning illegal immigrants as boatload after boatload of the same are escorted to shore by the AFM. These repetitive events lead to a general preoccupation among the Maltese as alarm bells start ringing on how our island can sustain this influx of immigrants - this, in turn, leads to racist accusations as people start voicing their opinions.

One question that arises from all this is: Does racism really have anything to do with our immigration problems? Superficially, calls from certain quarters to send these immigrants back from where they came will give an answer in the affirmative. However, if one gives the issue some serious thought one will realise that the illegal immigrant problem goes beyond racism and can have serious repercussions on us.

The problem has its effects on two main items - culture and economy.

The cultural problem manifests itself when a nation's people start losing their culture and they automatically lose their sense of belonging, which leads to the societal mess in which we are. The acceptance of immigrants (of non-European ethnic origin) who eventually start integrating in our society contribute greatly to this loss of identity.

This phenomenon does not manifest itself through the individual immigrant but rather through groups which form their own sub-cultures in the host society. The inevitable consequence is a conflict between the mainstream culture and sub-cultures which, when mixed, contribute to the weakening and eventual loss of identity by the host nation. Naturally, it would be simplifying matters heavily by claiming that it is only the immigrant problem which contributes to the loss of one's cultural identity but this forms one of the integral factors which does just that. Take the United States for example.

The second issue, which is just as important and much more immediate, is economic. For immigrants (especially non-European) bring cheap labour to our shores which contributes heavily to keeping wages low as daily living costs rise. The Maltese worker is left with no choice but to accept lower wages in order to compete for the few jobs available. And no campaign by the ETC can help solve the problem as fines do not act as a deterrent for the businessman.

So, is it racism that speaks when we demand a stop to this influx of immigrants? The simple answer is no! It is our will to preserve our cultural identity and improve our standard of living that does.

So, should these immigrants be sent back indiscriminately? No. The answer lies in the asylum camps currently proposed by Otto Schily and backed by Rocco Buttiglione - asylum camps opened up in North Africa and designed to accommodate illegal immigrants who then can be assessed on a case by case basis. However, these camps should not be viewed as a transmission point or hub into Europe but rather should serve to provide immigrants with the skills and education needed to build a self sustaining community in their home countries when it is safe for them to return.