New wave of migrants puts US and other countries to the test
The Obama administration has been accused of “trying to push back” against Europe’s “open door” policy, but the reality is that these policies are now being tested. Migrants, who are fleeing the economic crisis and insecurity, are no longer to be looked down upon, but are instead being welcomed into Europe.
In the UK, the number of people coming through the border is up by a third since the start of the year. In France the number of people “coming from north Africa” has risen by 35 per cent. In the US, the number of refugees arriving by sea has nearly doubled, while the total number of people allowed in has increased by 43 per cent.
In France, for example, there are now between 18,000 and 20,000 people per month who cross the Mediterranean en route to Europe.
This is the result of an increasing number of people – those who are willing to risk their lives for a better life – travelling to Europe by ship, busier than ever before, especially on the southern coast.
The number of arrivals in the EU has skyrocketed since the financial crisis, but we want to know why.
Why are they crossing the Mediterranean? We want to know what motivates people to leave what they consider a miserable life in a country where they cannot feed and clothe their families, and to take on the risk, hardship, and uncertainty of the sea.
These are questions that must be answered in a future documentary, but in the meantime, we have a glimpse of what is happening. “I can’t bear it,” said one woman who was taking a bus from the Ivory Coast to Spain, “it is like I am being suffocated, it is so cold, there is no room and no one to talk to. I am in a ship where the air is so thin… But I am happy,