The migration crisis : no human is illegal

Abstract

The migrants seeking to enter Europe—we surely cannot blame them for leaving their homeland. What would we not do to save our families or ourselves from economic ruin, religious or political persecution, civil strife, poverty, or long-term unemployment? Many make a rational choice. They move to close havens: thousands of Syrians shelter in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. But desperation and aspiration drive thousands to the cluster of safe and affluent European states that lie temptingly close, and who need skilled eager workers to secure the future of their economies and welfare regimes. Such a ‘push–pull’ scenario has driven human mobility throughout the ages.