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| Europe |
| Italy declares national emergency over migrant influx |
| 2008-07-27 |
| Italy declared a nationwide state of emergency over the arrival of immigrants on Friday as Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing government pushes forward with its crackdown on illegal immigration. Parliament said in a statement that the state of emergency which gives police and local authorities additional powers to tackle the influx, was extended to the entire country to combat the "persistent and exceptional" arrival of illegal immigrants. It did not give further details. The state of emergency was earlier in effect only for the southern provinces of Sicily, Puglia and Calabria. Italy's long shoreline and proximity to Africa make it a popular entry point into Europe for thousands of Africans who make hazardous journeys in flimsy boats each year. The move by Berlusconi's government, which won an April election promising a hard line on illegal immigration that it blames for crime, was immediately attacked by the opposition. "This way it ends up only increasing the worries and insecurities of people, exactly the opposite of what should be done," Democratic Party politician Marco Minniti said. The head of Medicins Sans Frontieres in Italy told the Ansa news agency that migrant arrivals on the southern island of Lampedusa in the first seven months of the year were up 30 percent from a year ago but were stable compared to prior years. Berlusconi earlier this week won parliamentary approval for a new package of reforms to tackle the issue of illegal immigration. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #12 Just like you don't have the right to jump the fence in Arizona. What fence? |
| Posted by: Jan 2008-07-27 23:28 |
| #11 Italy: 476 A.D. Ring any bells... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2008-07-27 17:58 |
| #10 Procopius2k: you are truly intelligent, erudite and spot correct on New Mexico. The problem is here in Arizona. I live in Tucson and half the town (southern half) speaks little or no English. No matter - all the store signs are in Spanish too. AZTLAN here we come... |
| Posted by: borgboy 2008-07-27 17:57 |
| #9 and then who is going to support Italy's reverse population pyramid How about legal immigrants and people who don't come to their country to collect welfare and commit crimes? How about people who stand in line and pay the fees and follow the rules? And when they have enough and dont need any more, you're shit outa luck. You arent born with a god given right to enter Italy. Just like you don't have the right to jump the fence in Arizona. |
| Posted by: Threreck Munster3934 2008-07-27 16:27 |
| #8 The Vatican isn't providing sanctuary? |
| Posted by: Danielle 2008-07-27 12:58 |
| #7 Zoid, where do you get your figures from. New Mexico has always had a high percentage of Hispanics. Heck, it was originally all Hispanic and Indian. The Hispanic population of New Mexico has always been high because that is where the bulk of the population was when America acquire whole southwest in the Mexican-American War. The Anglo migration into the state didn't really get going till the railroads showed in the late 19th Century. New Mexico generally isn't a squatting spot for illegals because there few jobs for the unskilled locals already [other than murder, rape, assault, etc]. The illegals generally are passing through as quickly as possible on to better and more lucrative opportunities, as demonstrated by the number of crammed van routinely stopped or rolled over on I-40. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-07-27 09:48 |
| #6 Hey, Silvio! When you're done in Italy you wanna come to the US? |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2008-07-27 09:06 |
| #5 and then who is going to support Italy's reverse population pyramid Indeed. Walfare state socialism = Europe's suicide. It could easily be the US's too. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2008-07-27 08:57 |
| #4 Just a reminder: illegal immigration to the US from Mexico and south, has raised the percentage of Hispanics - increasingly unassimilated - in New Mexico, to over 40% of the population of that state. The Italian disloyalist problem doesn't even come close to that. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-07-27 08:13 |
| #3 and then who is going to support Italy's reverse population pyramid |
| Posted by: Climble Dark Lord of the Heathen Rus3773 2008-07-27 08:12 |
| #2 Now the backlash begins in earnest. Once one starts mass deportations and sees success, there will be other Euro nations quickly follow suit. |
| Posted by: Jomock Platypus9662 2008-07-27 01:22 |
| #1 What, no amnesty? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-07-27 00:39 |