Why the Italian government can’t resolve the problems of Mediterranean smuggling boats? Because it doesn’t want to

The rule of law is often invoked as a Western value that “populist” movements want to destroy, yet the establishment’s own governments have long suspended that very same rule of law when it comes to immigration. The most evident example of this is the immigration policy started by the Italian Letta government in 2013 and continued since then under the Renzi government.
In October 2013, the Letta government, facing waves of refugees escaping the chaos of Western backed-Arab Spring in Libya, which later transpired as nothing more than insurgencies of Islamic radical groups, launched the operation “Mare Nostrum” or “Our Sea”, which consisted in the use of the Italian navy near Libyan waters to rescue asylum seekers from the African coast.

As noble as its motivation may be, a side effect of the operation was to encourage even more people to undertake sea travel because now they are certain that the Italian navy will rescue them. The result was a 224% increase in the number of boats leaving Libya, which translates into an average of almost 10 million euro a month for the Italian government¹⁾Immigrazione: il flop di Mare Nostrum, Il Sole 24 Ore.
In November 2014 Mare Nostrum was replaced with the EU-coordinated and funded Triton, covering a smaller part of the Mediterranean at the cost of 3 million euro a month. The official reason for the Triton operation is to control borders, however once we look at facts the goal of the operation is simply to bring in as many people as possible, regardless of whether they are refugees, economic migrants, legals or illegals. Since then, smuggling channels instead of being stopped have multiplied.

An established practice since the “Mare Nostrum” operation, continued under Triton, was for smugglers to launch a rescue signal to the patrolling navy and request assistance. In the meanwhile, NGOs pursuing the “open borders” have joined forces with them, assisting anyone, legal, illegal, refugee, who wants to reach Europe²⁾Caught in the act: NGOs deal in migrant smuggling, Gefira³⁾NGOs Armada operating off the coast of Libya, Gefira⁴⁾The Americans from MOAS ferry migrants to Europe, Gefira.

The European Commission that is responsible for Frontex, and what follows border controls, has a clear opinion on the matter. Commissioner for Home Affairs, Migration and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “Another important element that emerged strongly from the discussions on countering smuggling is that NGOs – and local and regional authorities – which provide assistance to smuggled migrants shall not be criminalised. I fully agree with this, of course, as I also agree on the need to protect the fundamental rights of those who are being smuggled. Those who we need to punish are the smugglers!”⁵⁾How can EU action against migrant smuggling be more effective? European Commission

Punishing the smugglers, unless they are part of NGOs, means the problem can’t and won’t be solved, because NGOs will always be free to smuggle migrants. This continues a well-established tradition; during the Monti government in 2011-12 a Ministry for Integration was created and given to Andrea Riccardi of the “Comunità of Sant’Egidio”, the prominent Italian open borders NGO. “Comunità of Sant’Egidio” runs projects such as “Humanitarian corridors”. The project funds an alternative route to bring people into Italy. Andrea Riccardi told the French media that he is convinced that Europe must open its borders.⁶⁾Andrea Riccardi, a soul for Europe, LavieThe Ministry  was then given to Cecile Kyenge, a black woman born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who set herself a task of drastically reducing the requirements for acquiring Italian citizenship. She proposes a law that would give citizenship to the children of immigrants if they are born on Italian soil. Under Renzi, the ministry was reduced to a department within the ministry for Home Affairs, and handed to Mario Morcone, again affiliated with the “Comunità di Sant’Egidio”.

What happens once migrants of all kinds reach Italian soil? They are sent to refugee centers, where they can apply for the status of refugees. It should be noted that Italy has long run out of places for asylum seekers, and so the government is paying hotels, hostels or citizens in general to take in people.

Here a common practice for those who know that their application will be rejected is to destroy their documents beforehand⁷⁾Establishing Identity for International Protection, European Migration Networkso that the time to identify them increases exponentially. Experience has shown that centers eventually become overcrowded, which turns out to be an occasion for migrants to riot, destroy properties and finally escape and become illegals.⁸⁾Migrants, 40 fleeing hotel in Sulcis bloc and the anus State, Corriere⁹⁾Cie revolt in Milan: flee three irregular, gd-notizie¹⁰⁾Directed to the Cie, agents arrests 10, Migranti Torino¹¹⁾Lampedusa, via transfers. flight of immigrants from the cie in Turin, RAI ¹²⁾The illegal immigrants are in Italy after being expelled, Il GiornaleIf they do not escape and their application is rejected, they are expelled. Expulsion however is voluntary and data shows that approximately only 50% of expelled migrants actually leave, probably to another EU-Schengen country, with the rest becoming illegals.

As the “Mafia Capitale”¹³⁾Mafia capital, Buzzi: “With immigrants will make a lot more money than with drugs”, Il Fatto Quotidianoscandal has shown, a collusion between members of the ruling Democratic Party controlling immigration-related institutions within the Italian state, including refugee centres, NGOs and the organized crime ensures that migrants are employed at the expense of Italian taxpayers and for insignificant hourly rates, providing massive illegal profits for the racketeers. An infamous quote of a member of organized crime reveals how immigration is now a more profitable business than drug trafficking.

“Do you have any idea how much I make on these immigrants?” Salvatore Buzzi, a mafia affiliate says in a 1,200-page wiretap from early 2013. “Drug trafficking is not as profitable”. “We closed this year with a turnover of 40 million but… our profits all came from the gypsies (Roma people),on the housing emergency and on the immigrants,” Buzzi said. That was in 2013, when 20.000 immigrants arrived in Italy. In 2016, 180.000 immigrants arrived in Italy.

Corrupt politicians like Giuseppe Castiglione (NCD, partner of the ruling Democratic party), working for the Home Office, with the official mission of ”favouring the integration of those in need of international protection” in reality work to ensure profiteering from the crisis. Illegal activities range from the assigning refugee centers construction to Democrat-related cooperatives in exchange for bribes to transferring asylum seekers and illegals to the Italian countryside and having them employed in the agricultural sector for an hourly rate between 1 and 3 euro. When it comes to women, immigrants themselves organize prostitution rings within the refugee centers or sell them to work in the Italian streets.¹⁴⁾Sicilian Mafia Cashes In On Desperate Immigrants, La Stampa

Immigration, a tale of willingly lax enforcement of the rule of law, smuggling, dishonesty, slavery and, ultimately, destroying Europe.