The leader of Azzjoni Nazzjonali, Josie Muscat, yesterday desc-ribed the government's burden-sharing proposal on illegal immigration with the EU as "a joke" as was Frontex, the EU's border agency.
At a press conference in front of the European Commission's Representation Office in Ta' Xbiex, Dr Muscat said that before the general election AN was the only party which raised the subject of immigration.
While AN had warned of the looming problem, it was only now that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was speaking of "an invasion" and Labour leader Joseph Muscat describing the situation as a "national crisis".
"The only thing that Frontex patrols did was give illegal immigrants piggy-back rides to Malta and reducing fuel costs for the Armed Forces of Malta. Frontex was nothing but a joke. We had warned of possible ethnic, religious, social and health problems with these people in Malta," he said.
Dr Muscat said the problem did not only lie with those who arrived on boats but also those who came here with a valid visa but then remained once it expired. These were all living off the generosity of the Maltese people.
Malta, he said, did not have the space or the human and financial resources necessary to accommodate such an influx of migrants.
He listed a number of countries, such as Spain, Belgium, France, Canada, the UK and Cyprus, that were dealing with ethnic and social problems.
AN was continuing to insist that migrants who were not eligible to humanitarian or refugee status should be immediately repatriated. Moreover, people found guilty of human trafficking should be given a life sentence.
He stressed that the way the government was making its burden-sharing proposal was not good enough because it only applied to migrants recognised as being refugees.
Dr Muscat said the migration problem was also raising serious security issues. He expressed concern on security in Malta when, for example, a group of migrants were only detected when they were seen walking on the Marsascala promenade.
He said his party was prepared to help the government make its case with the EU in order to help solve the problem, adding that Malta's proposal to repatriate refugees was "senseless".