No solution for the migrant problem

The problem of illegal migrants (infiltrators) is not an Israeli one. It exists on nearly every continent. There will always be a wealthy country to which migrants want to move. There will always be a poor country from which they want to escape.

The vast majority of illegal migrants are looking for a better fate. Most aspire above all to improve their economic situation. This is, of course, legitimate, but at the same time, a country's desire to have immigration meet its needs and play out according to its plans is no less legitimate. This is an issue that must be dealt with by the heart as well as the mind.

The largest share of migrants seeking entry into Europe is from Africa. Because of their African origin, there is a great temptation to turn the refusal to accept such migrants as refugees into a race issue. However, perhaps this would be the time to mention that over the last year, countries including Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Poland refused to grant permits to more than 5,000 Ukrainians. Some of them were even blonde.

We live in an age of political correctness. Talking about legal immigration is like declaring to the world: "I have no heart." But paradoxically, it is unregulated mass migration that hurts the integration process for legal, legitimate migrants, who usually have a lot to contribute to the country to which they move. (For example, the immortal actor Yves Montand immigrated to France, the land of immigrants, from Italy.)

The growing wave of immigration from Africa has been joined in recent years by refugees from Libya, Tunisia and Syria. The "Arab Spring" created hope for democracy, but ultimately led to tens of thousands of new illegal migrants in Europe. It was not for nothing that British newspaper The Guardian recently wrote that the refugee crisis is the most serious it has been since the last world war. In the same vein, a European Union poll published at the end of July revealed that illegal immigration is the number one source of concern among Europeans. Some 55 percent of Germans said they felt this way, perhaps because of the non-stop flow of refugees into their country. Even a wealthy country like Germany is scared.

Only recently has Australia managed to reach zero illegal immigrants over seven months, after tens of thousands entered the country in recent years. How? Among other things, due to the detention facilities set up 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from Australian territory in Papua, New Guinea, a decision made by the previous Liberal government.

Immigrants are not the enemy. Far from it. Sometimes they are an important element in a country's prosperity. Illegal migrants, however, are breaking the law. The same way we must condemn the world's apathy in the face of thousands of immigrants who drown in the Mediterranean Sea, so too should we be able to condemn those who are not prepared to respect the law or the borders of their state.

There is no doubt about the need to distinguish between illegal migrants and refugees. This, by the way, includes Israeli citizens whose visas to the United States have expired.

The world is looking for an elegant solution. The biggest problem for refugees from the south is that now, in the north (Greece) there are people who already live like refugees. And they were born in Europe.

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