Should Migrant Acceptance Rates Be Increased? | Teen Ink

Should Migrant Acceptance Rates Be Increased?

April 19, 2017
By RRicks9 SILVER, Tirana, Other
RRicks9 SILVER, Tirana, Other
6 articles 0 photos 11 comments

 Recently, two boats were found capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya. More than two hundred immigrants are feared to be dead. The immigrants were trying to reach Europe via Italy when the trip took a turn for the worst. The EU has come up with a plan to try to stop so many immigrants from coming in and to limit new immigrants. But, it is in my opinion that if these people are willing to risk their lives to get to somewhere where they aren’t always in fear of their lives, then they should at least be given a chance.


 The migrant population from the Middle East and Northern Africa has more than doubled, going from 25 million to 54 million people. Along with this, the terrorist cells in the Middle East has developed exponentially and they have spread internationally causing havoc all around the world. This has made the homes of the innocent citizens of the Middle East battlegrounds. All that I think that they want is a chance to lead the once normal lives that they had pre-absolute terror. I think that in order to protect these citizens, the First-World countries surrounding those countries should contribute into helping those citizens by opening their borders more or by helping to create safe havens for immigrants coming from the hostile environments. I think that if safe havens like these were built then those countries could save millions of people. When the Olympics, one of the world’s most renowned international sports competitions, says that they are going to recognize the problem of lost and dead refugees, the least that most of these overly capitalist countries can do is show a little sympathy.


 In the past six months, Italy has seen an influx of immigrants via Italy due to the closing of the pathway to Greece through Turkey. It was easier for immigrants to travel through Turkey because of its abundance of islands, land bridges, and its close location. Italy on the other hand is very hard to get to from the Middle East, as Italy is a peninsula and there is an almost two and a half thousand kilometer distance. But, immigrants are still willing to risk their lives to get to safety. One of the ways that countries in Europe could help the migration issues could be by providing safe travel to and from the Middle East and Northern Africa. There are many organizations now that are trying to help the immigrants like the IOM, International Organization for Migration, but they mostly have no government support or backing. In my opinion, if more countries supported Middle East immigration or provided some sort of service for them then they would be saving lives. It then subconsciously becomes, “There not ours. Are there lives worth saving?”  I do understand the money and resources that will have to be put out by the countries, in order to provide such services. But in the long run, if countries were to put out some money and provide services for these immigrants then they will in turn be forever grateful and they will work hard for that countries.


 In the end, it comes down to two things: People or Money. Once again, I understand that countries need a certain amount of money in order to maintain its economy, but why has the human race come down to the conclusion that the money that they might spend matters more and if they are not your citizens they don’t matter. Because when it comes down to it, we are all human beings and none of us deserve to live more than others despite our race, where we were born, age, what we’ve done in the past, or our nationality. If people don’t understand then they need to try to put themselves in their shoes before they go around judging these people and sentencing them to die by aimlessly waiting around and doing absolutely nothing. The Golden Rule isn’t just for five-year olds anymore, we as human beings need to relearn to “Treat others they way YOU want to be treated.”



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