Illegal immigration has become an emergency

This year already more than 1,600 illegal immigrants have arrived in Malta. Let's say 2,000 arrive each year. These may not seem a lot to other countries but in our small and densely populated island, this will mean that in 10 years' time, 20 per cent of the population will be composed of these illegal immigrants! This is excluding the increase in this trend, which this year is an astonishing 16 per cent, and children born to these illegal immigrants. It is also excluding those already here!

It is obvious that tiny Malta cannot sustain this situation and everybody is now acknowledging this fact. Yet the authorities are taking it too lightly. Is there a limit to the amount we will take? Is whoever ends up on our shores going to be admitted?

The only response of the authorities has been to label as racist and quell all those who showed concern over this problem. Calls for burden sharing have already fallen on deaf ears and are a waste of time because while everybody likes to talk about solidarity nobody wants this complex problem at home. Other European countries know how hard it is for these immigrants to integrate.

The only solution is for Malta to declare an emergency situation and take in no more illegal immigrants, no matter what the few people who think Malta can solve all of Africa's problems say. Time has come, although continuing to help, not allow entry to the immigrants reaching Malta.

I am not even mentioning complex problems that will develop such as the demographics of the island since more than 80 per cent of these immigrants are male.

So again to my point: It is time for Malta to declare an emergency and take in no more illegal immigrants.