One prominent European leader just repeated a pledge to stop illegal immigration. Given the venue, however, her words likely fell on deaf ears.
According to The Guardian, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday that she will not allow Italy to become “Europe’s refugee camp.”
Meloni’s comments came amid a surge in illegal migrant landings on Italy’s shores, as more than 127,000 immigrants have arrived so far in 2023 — a twofold increase from the same period in 2022.
Italy’s illegal immigration crisis might have reached a tipping point last week.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that in a span of 48 hours, 7,000 illegal migrants had landed on Lampedusa, an Italian island with only 6,000 residents. According to The Guardian, 11,000 more have arrived since then.
Lampedusa Mayor Filippo Mannino told an Italian radio station that the island has “always welcomed” immigrants.
“However, we have now reached a point of no return and the island is in crisis,” Mannino said.
The surge of arrivals put a terrible strain on Lampedusa’s migrant reception center, which normally houses 400 people but last Wednesday held 10 times that number.
Thus, some violence erupted, and a number of migrants had to flee the reception center. A viral clip posted on X captured some of the chaos:
R.I.P. Lampedusa, Italy. Once a quaint little island with 6,000 residents.
This is the result of the greatest betrayal in history. Our grandchildren will hate us.pic.twitter.com/ihpo7bTQ8s
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 14, 2023
According to Reuters, Mannino called for Europe and Italy to launch “a rapid support operation and swift transfer of people.” On Thursday, The Associated Press reported that authorities had begun the transfer process.
Meanwhile, some Lampedusa residents greeted the illegal migrants with generosity.
Local firefighter Antonello Di Malta told the Italian news agency ANSA that he asked his mother to cook spaghetti for several migrant men.
“They were exhausted, but above all famished,” Di Malta said. ”One of them got down on his knees, asking to eat.”
Such stories remind us, of course, that God commands us to treat everyone with charity. That command, however, does not authorize world leaders to deliberately create humanitarian crises.
Meloni’s visit to the UN highlights that peculiar aspect of the West’s current migration crisis: Government officials could control illegal immigration, but they choose not to do so.
There can be only one reason. Illegal immigration destroys national sovereignty. If a country cannot control its borders, then it has no sovereignty in any meaningful sense.
Thus, open borders suit the purposes of globalists such as those who occupy seats in the UN General Assembly.
Meloni might or might not succeed in reversing Italy’s illegal immigration crisis.
But as long as globalists receive support from preening woke moralists who equate calls to combat illegal immigration with racism, they have no reason to care what Meloni or anyone else thinks of open borders.
