As a European citizen one thing that has become apparent: Immigration is something that needs to be managed rather than controlled. It's not as simple as either allowing or banning immigrants, to treat them as legal or illegal. It goes beyond that. Political entities need to establish an effective system which is able to take into account and provide solutions for particular circumstances. Below are some quick ideas about the issue:
Firstly, we must establish an effective and safe system of transport. It is becoming increasingly difficult watching hundreds of innocent people drown in the Mediterranean on their way to Europe. Closing borders, building walls or fences, will ultimately amount to nothing. Having a safe and reliable transport system to and from the source countries gives us, the receiving countries, space with which to find a solution while at the same time ensuring the inherent value of the human being remains intact.
After receiving migrants, the receiving authorities should run background checks to ensure these people pose no threat, and then decide on a category for the migrants, be it permanent settlement, transitory, etc. Many things should be taken into account when deciding this, including the capacity of the receiving entity.
More importantly, receiving entities, in order to truly solve issues of migration, especially in circumstances where there are more immigrants seeking entry than are able to be accepted, should look to work with source countries to solve causes of migration. This can be done, for example, through investment and trade relations, among other things.
Ultimately, one thing must be made clear: The issue of immigration is not going to go away, regardless of how many barriers you erect to stop it or limit it. Human beings naturally move to areas where they can have a better life, this is how it has always been, ever since before recorded history. This is not going to change. What we ought to do, as an international community, is strive to put an end to immigration out of basic necessity (i.e. To achieve a basic living). This will only be done by effectively managing, not strictly controlling, immigration, and by working together with our international partners.
