The illegal immigration issue is fast becoming a massive problem. The number of arrivals in winter seems to herald waves of immigrants heading our way in the spring and summer seasons.
The hundreds of arrivals, now often being greeted by other former illegal immigrants, is a worrying sign. The strange configuration of a quota of women, mainly pregnant, confirms a carefully planned strategy, with Malta as the main objective. I was told stories where family members, such as brothers and cousins, have come across in regular intervals. Whether they really cross over directly from a Libyan port or are let out into the open seas from a larger boat travelling in any direction, is not the point. In whatever way they travel, it appears to be a short crossing as the faces that come ashore do not betray any signs of grave fatigue.
My concerns are not only the ones of the moment, that of Malta not being large enough to accommodate these immigrants, but also revolve around other consequences of these landings.
The food, and the total service Malta provides, comes at a price, and it is the taxpayer that is forking out millions of euros yearly. The town tissue is fast eroding in places like Msida, where hundreds of foreigners live, as I find in my house visits, coupled with loitering and a sudden rise in petty theft. Foreigners knock on doors looking for food or something to steal.
The migrant arrivals mainly are young. In time they will age and we will therefore be obliged to give them housing units, social security, jobs and eventually a pension. We will have to take care of them throughout their lifetime. To do so, we must discard our obligations to our real brothers and sisters, the Maltese, and their needs. Had we been living in a state where we are all above average, with no problems, then our intake of immigrants could be seen in a different light. The problem is made grave by the fact that these arrivals compound our state of affairs and replace our workforce, plus I doubt whether they or their employer pay NI contributions or tax.
It would be a pity if this issue became a political football, with an effort to score points to the detriment of the real issue. These migrants will come, immaterial of who is in government. As everybody has left us to swim the heavy seas alone, the solutions have to be immediate and must be found by ourselves, as one nation.