Christian Peregin
Voluntary return costs less than forcing migrants home
Minister laments lack of response from Libya and EU states
It costs less to send illegal immigrants back to their countries through assisted voluntary programmes than to do so using force, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said yesterday.
The former Justice and Home Affairs Minister, who had his share of scrapes with humanitarian NGOs when he staunchly defended Malta's detention policy, said voluntary return programmes give immigrants a dignified way of returning home when they do not qualify to remain in Europe.
In this connection, he made specific reference to the Maltese, EU-funded pilot-project Dar, which will run till January 2009.
The minister was speaking at a seminar which discussed the best repatriation practices of European and African countries.
Speaking about the local situation, he said that, despite the efforts of Frontex, the problem of illegal immigration was worsening due to limited cooperation from Libya. Since Malta is so densely populated, immigration is having a big impact on society and the economy, resulting in a "feeling of unease", he added.
"While Malta does its best to integrate as many immigrants as possible, it cannot provide enough of the jobs, shelter and social services that are required."
Dr Borg also complained of a lower-than-expected response from other EU countries to help share Malta's burden and said that, in the light of this, Malta needed a credible return policy for those immigrants that do not qualify to stay in Malta.
Immigrants coming from Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan were among those recently repatriated through the pilot project but the numbers were limited due to the complex problems faced by the authorities.
Before the cogs can start turning, the authorities have to earn the trust of the returnees in order to get their consent and, often, their true identity and nationality. Then the government has to secure the cooperation of the authorities in the countries of origin through identification processes and the release of travel documents.
Once approved, the migrants are provided with assistance at all stages of the return home in the form of cash grants, business start-up packages, job training, travel documents and flight tickets. Checks are made at every step of the way to ensure that the assistance is not abused of and that the migrants manage to reintegrate properly in their home countries.
Forced repatriation, on the other hand, requires chartered flights and supervision by a large number of police officers, which together add up to a bill that exceeds the aid given through voluntary return, Dr Borg explained, adding that Malta was benefiting a lot from the experience and know-how of other countries that had adopted return programmes.
The seminar, organised by the Foreign Ministry and European Commission and held at the Old University Building, in Valletta, included the participation of countries which have scenarios as varied as those of Denmark, Ghana, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
"Proportionately, Malta is the EU member state that has been hit most by this phenomenon," Dr Borg told representatives of the other countries, pointing out that the problem started off with 60 immigrants in 2001 and increased to 1,600 in 2002. This year saw a 30 to 40 per cent increase with about 2,400 immigrants reaching Maltese shores.
Dr Borg stressed that the problem is first and foremost a human tragedy, with a conservative estimate of 600 people dying in the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Europe.
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l Galea
Oct 10th 2008, 23:15
Charles Camilleri
I would if it deserved it as I have done in other instances.
In this case it is simply a Chamberlain paper, so much so that according to the survey carried out by The Times, around 80% of the respondents do not want the Government to sign the Pact.
Charles Sammut
Oct 10th 2008, 17:30
Forced repatriation has a deterrent effect.
Paying them €5,000 plus other perks only encourages more to come.
In any case this a a purely academic exercise. The number so far has been 5 or 6.
The sub-title "Minister laments lack of response from Libya nd EU states" further proves the abject incompetence of our amateur politicans. Libya and the EU states safeguard their interest, and quite rightly so. But nobody calls them "racist" for their position.
Michelle Dali
Oct 10th 2008, 17:28
"...the migrants are provided with assistance at all stages of the return home in the form of cash grants, business start-up packages, job training, travel documents and flight tickets. Checks are made... that the migrants manage to reintegrate properly in their home countries"
Who wouldn't try to enter Malta illegally when there is so much reward at the end of the journey? This kind of thing only encourages more and more of these people to risk their lives to enter Europe illegally!
Criminal acts should not be rewarded. Knowingly trying to enter a country illegally by paying human traffickers to get you on a boat from Libya, which is not a war-torn country, is against the law.
Charles Camilleri
Oct 10th 2008, 15:32
@i galea. Please give some credit to something done by this Govt.
A Vella
Oct 10th 2008, 15:18
Now this is justice! they come here illegally and we have to pay them to go back. What next? i think some people locally are considering too much what is good for them and too little what is best for us.
Guze Xerri
Oct 10th 2008, 13:41
It matters very little what the cost is to repatriate the illegal invaders.
Because in the long run it will turn out to have been a real bargain for the native Maltese.
l Galea
Oct 10th 2008, 12:26
So they come here and we give them €5,000 each to return home.
ILLEGAL immigrants will either be lucky and be granted refugee or humanitarian status or given a golden handshake of €5,000 to return home.
Who wouldn't try his luck?
I am sorry Dr Borg, but I don't agree with you that it costs less to send back illegal immigrants with a golden handshake.
Send them back just the same without the golden handshake and it will save us €5,000 for each ILLEGAL immigrant.
Robert Cassar
Oct 10th 2008, 10:52
Here we only talk and talk about the immigrants! I CARE about my family.. I care to see how I will manage to bring food to our table every day! The government is helping these immigrants while I struggle to make my family live.. Voluntary or involuntary.. send them back and do not accept any more of them.
Eric Gahn
Oct 10th 2008, 10:22
I thought Dr Borg was happy with the agreeement the government (of which he is part) signed were our Eurpoean brothers can help us share the load on a volontary basis. So why is he complaining now of lack of response from EU states?
And are we really going to keep pressing on Libya? Libya does not care. Anyone who ever spent time working in Tripoli knows that Libyans have no love for the foreigners even they consider illegal immigrants. The mroe they get rid of them, the better. Get Libya out of the equation. Anyone caught in Malta illegally should be kept in prison until his case is brought to court.
Dr Borg is making it sound like we are winning this war. He is forgeting that his FIRST duty is to Maltese citizens but I have serious doubts that his 1st thought goes to us, his fellow citizens. Instead of saying that it is cheaper to to have illegal immigrants volontarily repatriated, why does he not tell us
a) the total expendituer to support illegal immigrants who stay here
b) full numbers of immigrants arrived each year since 2001's 60, 2002's 1600, ......
c) what percentage are returning.