Choice 3
Italy: Illegal immigrants top one million, says charity (Source: www.adnkronos.com)
Rome, 11 August 2009 (AKI) - Despite a tougher stance on immigration in Italy, immigrants have
not been deterred from entering the country illegally. The Catholic relief organisation Caritas says
the number of illegal immigrants now living in Italy has topped one million. The figure is
considerably higher than the number estimated by the United Nations' Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development, which says there are 500,000 to 750,000 illegal immigrants in Italy.
There will always be people searching for work from poor countries and this number is
increasing," a senior official from Caritas in Rome told Adnkronos International (AKI). "Even with
new immigration laws, they will find their way across the border."
Caritas estimates the number of immigrants is higher than other figures, based on the
demand for its services in offices located throughout Italy. The organisation believes that for every
immigrant working in the home as cleaning personnel or home help, there is at least one other
illegal immigrant in the country. "There will always be people working and living in Italy without
permits to stay," the official told AKI. He explained that a majority of these immigrants already
live and even work in Italy but they do not have a permit to stay. They often work in the home or in
elderly care.
Caritas has expressed concern about the exploitation of illegal immigrants by employers but
under new immigration laws employers will be under more pressure to ensure their workers
function legally. Under the provisions of the new law passed by the parliament in July 2009, people
entering Italy without permission face fines of up to 10,000 euros and could be expelled
immediately. Anyone renting housing to an illegal immigrant faces up to three years in prison and
there is also provision for citizen vigilante groups which are expected to be established soon.
Italy in May returned to Libya migrants rescued or intercepted at sea in international waters,
triggering criticism from the Vatican and the United Nations refugee agency. The repatriations
followed a deal Italy struck with Libya last year to combat people trafficking in the Mediterranean.
European Union laws oblige the 25 countries that are part of the Schengen agreement to
allow illegal immigrants to make two so-called mistakes, but there are fears that the new Italian law
will make it easier to exploit this provision. Caritas officials said they had seen an increase in the
incidence of violence against immigrants recently following the introduction of the new law.
From Webster’s dictionary:
xe·no·pho·bia noun : fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or
foreign
ref·u·gee noun : one who flees; especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to
escape danger or persecution
illegal noun : an illegal immigrant
American singer/songwriter Tom Russell is a folk artist and rancher from El Paso Texas, a town
near the US-Mexican border. He is known for his very personal and poignant lyrics. His catchy
and fiery 2006 song "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall?" was about immigration reform and border
enforcement in the USA, where illegal immigration is seen by many as a huge problem. The Bush
Administration’s proposal to stop the flood of illegal immigration was to erect a 700-mile wall
along the U.S.-Mexico border. As the song underlines, most illegals find work as house help
(caring for children or the elderly, or as cleaners) or doing the difficult, dirty jobs most Americans
don’t want. Here are some of the lyrics to his song:
I've got 800 miles of open border - right outside my door. But we got minute men in
little pick up trucks who've declared their own damn war. But now the government
wants to build a barrier like old Berlin -- 12 feet tall ! - But if Uncle Sam sends the
illegals home, who's gonna build the wall?
Yeah, who's gonna build your wall boys? Who's gonna mow your lawn? Who's gonna
cook your Mexican food when your Mexican maid is gone? Who's gonna wax the floors
tonight down at the local mall? Who's gonna wash your baby's face? Who's gonna build
your wall?