CONTEMPORARY IMMIGRATION DEBATES

I. The Mediterranean Migrant Crisis

Debate topics/motions that may arise

● To solve the refugee crisis, THBT the EU should shift its focus from preventing migrants
leaving their home countries to equitable settlement within the EU

Information
● The migrants
○ The word “migrant” refers to an individual who leaves his/her home or country of
origin to seek a new life.
■ This definition can include refugees - civilians fleeing persecution, danger,
or human rights abuses - or people escaping poverty.
● The crisis
○ In the context of the crisis, the migrants are often refugees arriving by boat,
seeking sanctuary from the chaos of countries like Yemen, Nigeria, Gambia,
Syria, and Libya. Many also arrive from the sub-Saharan nations of Eritrea and
Somalia.
■ Countries like Spain, Greece, Italy, and Malta are common destinations
for these migrants.
○ Recently, the influx of refugees into Europe has increased severely.
■ According to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees), approximately 170,000 refugees arrived in Italy in 2014 alone.
In addition, it is estimated by the International Organization for Migration
that some 21,000 migrants have reached Italy this year (as of April 17,
2015).
■ However, in the same way, many refugees (who often arrive illegally) also
face many challenges.
● Migrants pay people traffickers between £2000 to £3000 for
passage to Europe. As a result, they are then transported across the
Mediterranean Sea by the smugglers.
○ Migrants face terrible conditions as a result. Gangs treat
them as slaves, forcing them to work for months in order to
earn enough money to afford the transport. Moreover,
according to the accounts of survivors, men are regularly
beaten, while women are repeatedly raped.
● Even the journey to Europe itself is filled with perils.
○ The vessels are often dangerously overcrowded, and there
is an increasing death toll of migrants who perished.
 ○ 3500 individuals were estimated to have died in the process
of passage in 2014. The death toll in 2015 is already
estimated to be at 1500.
● A ship of migrants capsizes just off of the Libyan coast
○ A ship packed with migrants capsized and sank in the
Mediterranean Sea - just off the coast of Libya - last April
19, 2015.
○ The fishing boat containing the refugees is believed to have
capsized when the migrants saw a merchant ship and
rushed over to one side.
○ Officials estimate that 700 people drowned in the process,
with only 28 known survivors.
○ The incident has instigated a wave of criticism against the
EU and its policies that attempt to deal with the
Mediterranean crisis.
○ What the EU has been doing
■ Operation Mare Nostrum
● A year-long naval and air operation (started in October 2013) by
the Italian government to tackle increased immigration to Europe
and the possibility of migrant shipwrecks.
● It was operated and enforced by the Italian Navy.
● Essentially, one of the operation’s main components involves
search and rescue, which is the search for and provision of aid to
individuals/ships in distress.
○ The operation saved thousands of lives. In the time period
that it was ongoing, at least 150,000 migrants - mainly from
Africa and the Middle East - arrived safely to Europe.
● However, Operation Mare Nostrum eventually became politically
unpopular and very costly, as it was funded by Italy - only one EU
state.
○ The Italian government spent €9 million on the operation
every month for twelve months.
○ Italy requested for additional funds from other EU states,
but they did not offer the financial support needed to
maintain the operation.
● As a result, the operation ended on October 31, 2014.
■ Operation Triton
● Operation Triton began on November 1, 2014, after Operation
Mare Nostrum ended.
● It involves voluntary contributions from fifteen other EU nations,
namely: Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, the
 Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland,
Romania, Poland, Lithuania, and Malta.
● Compared to Operation Mare Nostrum…
○ Its budget is estimated at only €2.8 million per month.
○ According to the International Organization for Migration,
deaths at sea have increased nine times after the end of
Operation Mare Nostrum.
○ Operation Mare Nostrum
■ Has a wider mandate to work across the
Mediterranean Sea
■ Actually focused on the conduction of search and
rescue operations
○ Operation Triton
■ Focuses on border protection
■ Operates closer to the coast of Italy
● After the recent Libya migrant shipwrecks, the EU proposed to
triple the funding of Operation Triton. However, in response,
Amnesty International said that “failure to extend Triton’s
operational area will fatally undermine today’s commitment.”

Arguments and clash points

To solve the refugee crisis, THBT the EU should shift its focus from preventing migrants leaving
their home countries to equitable settlement within the EU

✓ Equitable settlement ✓ Preventing migrants leaving their home

countries

Equitable settlement: allowing migrants to Preventing migrants leaving their home

settle and live in the EU; allocate more to countries: sending aid to the home countries
richer/more capable countries of these migrants (Syria, Somalia, etc.)

The EU should shift its focus to equitable
settlement because it allows refugees, at the
very least, to be protected and provided basic
rights. In their home countries, refugees face
tumultuous political conditions (dictatorships
like Bashar al Assad and his regime), war, and
conflict – at the point in which they are barely
provided with their basic rights and
Equitable settlement is unsustainable. Because
resources are scarce, it would eventually
become too costly to sustain for EU countries
(i.e. Italy), especially those in recession. In
fact, more refugees are likely to flee to EU
countries because they realize that they will
be resettled there, with proper housing,
government protection, and welfare.
 necessities. Refugees are desperate to escape
these conditions and find a better life; as a
result, they leave their home countries. In
addition, their home countries, more often
than not, are corrupt. It is difficult to bank on
aid improving the predicament there,
especially since the possibility of aid reaching
the individuals on the ground is uncertain.
Equitable settlement will enable refugees to
be provided the basic rights – the right to
work, housing, education, etc. – that they
would not have otherwise been provided in
their home states.
The EU should focus on equitable settlement
because it changes the currently
xenophobic/anti-migrant culture within the
EU. Currently, migrants are perceived as ‘job
stealers’ or individuals who leech off of
resources provided by the state - especially in
a time of economic recession, like in Italy and
Spain - or in a time of collapse, like in Greece.
While the process may be slow, allowing
equitable settlement is essentially also
allowing migrants to be integrated into
society.
II. Immigration and the United States of America
Debate topics/motions that may arise
● Clash points concerning citizenship for illegal immigrants
● TH supports Obama’s executive action on immigration
Information
Assuming, however, that cost is not a
problem, it is still unsustainable because it
does not deal with the root of the problem. It
is true that many refugees are incredibly
desperate to flee their home countries (such
that they would pay people traffickers
thousands of euros for passage across the
Mediterranean). Nevertheless, the problem of
the turbulent conditions within their home
countries still remains. When these issues are
not resolved, refugees will still be compelled
to leave for the EU. This is problematic
because refugees will continue to face
challenges – capsizing ships, people
trafficking, etc. – in their voyages across the
Mediterranean.
Allowing equitable settlement just encourages
more migrants to flee to the EU. Indeed,
equitable settlement will provide them with
employment, housing, and education.
Nonetheless, this can still be problematic. It
reinforces the current rhetoric that migrants
are indeed ‘job stealers’ or ‘welfare bums’
who do not contribute to the economy.
Especially in the context of an economic
recession, it makes it easier for citizens of the
state to rationalize discrimination and even
resentment against these migrants - because in
a time when resources are already scarce, the
job opportunities and the resources that could
have gone to citizens of the state went to these
migrants instead.
● The broken immigration system
○ Illegal immigration
■ Estimates of the size of the illegal immigrant population range from 12
million to 20 million.
● 8 percent of births in the U.S. were kids whose parents were
unauthorized immigrants.
■ According to a Pew Hispanic Center report in 2008, 57 percent of illegal
immigrants originated from Mexico, while another 24 percent were from
other Latin American countries (mostly from Central America).
● These immigrants often leave their home countries and head to the
U.S. in search of a better life and more economic opportunities.
● However, the problem of illegal immigration remains:
○ Legal immigration takes years to accomplish. For many
cases, it takes more than fifteen years to even hear back
from the U.S. More often than not, the U.S. prioritizes
immigrants who have relatives who are U.S. citizens.
○ Due to this tedious and complex immigration process,
several immigrants have taken to illegal immigration as a
solution.
■ Many of them turn to smugglers, cartels, and even
corrupt government officials in order to cross the
border. This is dangerous, because this leads to
crimes being committed against these illegal
immigrants - who are reliant on the aforementioned
actors. Common crimes committed against them
include but are not limited to kidnapping, robbery,
extortion, sexual violence, and death.
■ Other immigrants resort to:
● The overstaying of their visas.
● Buying and utilizing forged documents to
circumvent border security.
○ Americans and illegal immigration
■ Many Americans feel like illegal immigration is problematic because:
● Illegal immigrants ‘steal’ resources.
○ Many Americans believe that illegal immigrants get access
to food stamps, welfare, unemployment benefits, and more.
Although federal law states that illegal aliens are not able to
receive benefits from the state, this has not stopped them
from attempting to receive them anyway. There are several
ways for them to circumvent federal law. When illegal
immigrants have children in the U.S. - these children are
 automatically U.S. citizens - it becomes even more difficult
to send the parents of these children away. So, as a low-
income family, they are eligible to receive benefits. In
addition, many illegal immigrants buy forged documents
saying that they are U.S. citizens, enabling them to still
receive benefits. Certainly, if the state, employers, and
federal agencies cannot distinguish real documents from
forged documents, illegal aliens who utilize this measure
are able to get access to benefits.
● Illegal immigrants ‘steal’ job opportunities away from
Americans.
○ Unauthorized immigrants make up a huge part of the
civilian workforce; according to Business Insider, there
were approximately 8.3 million illegal aliens in the
workforce in 2008.
■ As of 2008 as well: 25 percent of farmers, 19
percent of maintenance workers, and 17 percent of
construction workers were illegal immigrants.
○ As a result, the sentiment of illegal immigrants being ‘job
stealers’ is still prevalent. In the aforementioned statistic,
the 8.3 million jobs being occupied by illegal immigrants
would have gone to American citizens.
■ What America does to undocumented migrants
● Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and detention
○ There are several ways that illegal immigrants can come
into the custody of the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, or ICE - the U.S. immigration authorities.
They may be arrested during a workplace raid or may be
arrested in their homes. Even then, some migrants may be
placed in the custody of the police first, who will contact
the ICE if they believe that you are an undocumented
migrant. Moreover, if, for example, in the instance that you
are a detainee, information about you is placed into the
database shared by the police/jail and the ICE. In the latter
instance, the ICE will file a ‘detainer’, which allows the
police to detain you temporarily (on their behalf) until they
interview you about your immigration status.
● Charging
○ Once an undocumented migrant is placed into custody, the
deportation officer will determine whether or not the
migrant should be placed into removal proceedings - in
 other words, the process to deportation. If so, the
authorities must also charge the migrant. More often than
not, the charges are: unlawful entry into the U.S. and
overstaying a visa.
● Immigration reform in the U.S.
○ “Immigration reform” in the U.S. refers to a set of policies that aim to increase or
sustain legal immigration while cracking down on illegal immigration. Since
many Americans (17 percent, according to statistics) believe that illegal
immigration is a top state concern, tackling the issue through immigration reform
has likewise been a top priority in politics.
○ Democrat stance
■ Democrats believe that immigrants, more often than not, are hardworking
and contribute their diverse skillsets to the strengthening of the American
economy. Thus, they believe in providing a path to citizenship for
undocumented migrants.
● DREAM act
○ The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors
(DREAM) act is an American legislative proposal first
introduced in 2001. It has been reintroduced to the Senate
several times since, but it has failed to pass.
○ Essentially, it allows undocumented migrants in the U.S. to
be granted conditional residency and eventually, permanent
residency.
■ Requirements for conditional residency status
● Proof that the undocumented migrant
entered the U.S. before the age of 16 and
must have continuously resided in the nation
for at least five years
● Must have graduated from a U.S. high
school or obtained a GED
● Demonstrates a good moral character
● Pass criminal background checks and
reviews
■ After attaining conditional residency status,
permanent residency may be obtained if the
following requirements have been met in a period of
six years:
● Having attended an institution of higher
learning or served in the U.S. military for at
least 2 years
● Pass more background checks
 ● A good moral character
○ Individuals who support the act argue that this enables
immigrants to contribute more to the U.S. economy, while
critics argue that it encourages and rewards illegal
immigration, inviting more unauthorized migrants in search
of better opportunities, for example.
● Obama’s immigration policy via executive action
○ An executive action, made by the president, is an informal
proposal. Although it is not binding, it calls for a certain
plan of action for the state and the Congress to carry out.
○ Obama’s executive action concerning immigration will do
the following:
■ It will grant reprieve or pardon from deportation to
the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and
permanent residents who have lived in the U.S. for
at least five years. In addition, they will be granted
work permits.
■ It will also grant reprieve or pardon from
deportation to immigrants who were brought to
America as children and are now residing there
illegally.
● Thirteen year path to citizenship
○ Obama wants to stop the deportation of unauthorized
immigrants through the provision of a thirteen year path to
citizenship, as stated in the bill.
○ As long as they have been in the U.S. since before 2012
and have a clean criminal record, unauthorized immigrants
are able to attain citizenship.
○ Republican stance
■ Republicans support stronger border patrols and stronger consequences for
unauthorized immigrants.
● While Democrats believe that these migrants are beneficial in the
strengthening of the economy, majority of Republicans believe that
they are burdens to the system - because they occupy jobs that
would have gone to American citizens, for example.

Arguments and clash points

On citizenship

DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS
Deportation is extremely costly - estimates
state that it costs about $12500 to deport an
illegal immigrant. In addition, it is unrealistic
to rely on the deportation of millions of
unauthorized immigrants. As a result,
Democrats believe in providing unauthorized
immigrants with a path to citizenship,
enabling them to access more job
opportunities, for example. This allows
immigrants to contribute to the state, as well
as strengthen the U.S. economy with their
diverse skillsets and interests.
TH supports Obama’s executive action on immigration
Positive
Immigration is a controversial issue,
especially in the political scene - causing a
gridlock in Congress. Despite this, Obama felt
that there was an urgency to act and protect
certain sectors of illegal immigrants from
deportation anyway. Considering how, for
one, the U.S. does not want to separate
families, it was important for the executive
action to be created. In the status quo, for
instance, it is very easy for employers to place
employees (who are undocumented migrants)
under abusive working conditions such as
long working hours and lower wages. They
can threaten these immigrants with
deportation, vitiating their consent to work in
these poor circumstances. The executive
action enables migrants to be protected from
these threats.
While deportation may be costly and while
the removal process for unauthorized
immigrants is quite lengthy, the solution to the
issue of illegal immigration does not lie with a
path to citizenship. A path to citizenship
encourages and rewards illegal immigration.
This is because in essence, the state is giving
these illegal immigrants what they went there
for, even if they could have applied for
citizenship and received it through legal
immigration. As a result, more individuals
looking to immigrate to the U.S. are
incentivized to do so illegally - because they
realize that they will be given a path to
citizenship anyway.
Negative
When Obama created his executive action on
immigration, he bypassed Congress and did
not ascertain its consent, or even proper
discourse concerning the controversial matter.
Opponents of Obama’s executive action argue
that Obama has “overstepped the boundaries
of his authority and is ignoring the will of the
people.” Democracy is more than about
Democrats; it is about the people. When
Obama came up with the executive action on
immigration, he completely ignored the
people’s mandate, despite the fact that he is
supposed to be representative of them.
Moreover, Congress is supposed to be an
appropriate checks and balance as well as an
area for discourse; however, Obama
circumvented that system in the creation of
the executive action at the end of the day.
 REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READINGS

I. Sources

http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/understanding-migration-and-asylum-
european-union
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/18/-sp-world-briefing-europe-worsening-
migrant-crisis
http://time.com/3827862/eu-mediterranean-refugees-europe-libya-italy-lampedusa-migrants-
asylum-seekers/
http://time.com/3827557/migrant-boat-capsizing-mediterranean-europe/
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/world/europe/italy-migrants-capsized-boat-off-libya.html?
_r=0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Triton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mare_Nostrum

II. Sources

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/why-more-immigration-bad-america-11210
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2694508/Number-Americans-calling-illegal-
immigration-important-problem-U-S-grows-SIX-FOLD-May-tops-issues.html
http://www.alipac.us/problems_with_illegal_immigration/
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/11/obama_immigration_plan_wh
y_it_s_time_to_end_birthright_citizenship.html
http://www.bustle.com/articles/3304-3-ways-the-united-states-immigration-system-is-broken
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruzan-sarwar/student-visas-immigration-
reform_b_1775425.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/immigration-data-charts-reform-illegal-2013-1?op=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/how-united-states-immigration-system-works-fact-
sheet
http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-06-08/columns/why-do-mexicans-come-to-this-country-
illegally-instead-of-legally/full/
http://www.futurity.org/why-people-take-the-risk-of-illegal-immigration/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/illegal-immigrants-story---arriving-3099790
http://mic.com/articles/28089/immigration-reform-2013-how-long-does-it-take-immigrants-to-
earn-the-american-dream
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/06/the-human-tragedy-of-illegal-immigration-
greater-efforts-needed-to-combat-smuggling-and-violence
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/world/americas/mexican-immigrants-repeatedly-brave-
risks-to-resume-lives-in-united-states.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://thelawdictionary.org/article/why-is-it-that-illegal-aliens-get-free-food-stamps-health-
insurance-and-pay-no-taxes/
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-happens-when-undocumented-immigrant-is-
caught.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_illegal_immigrants_in_the_United_States#Ec
onomic_costs_of_illegal_immigrants
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/high-school/top-10-myths-about-immigration
http://www.pewresearch.org/daily-number/democrats-see-immigrants-as-a-strength-for-the-u-s-
republicans-view-them-as-a-burden/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/28/on-immigration-republicans-favor-path-to-
legal-status-but-differ-over-citizenship/
http://www.people-press.org/2011/12/06/illegal-immigration-gaps-between-and-within-parties/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DREAM_Act