In the recent years immigration and the migrant crisis has been a very talked about topic in the news. The drama surrounding the southern border has been in the forefront of headlines for years now, but the US is not the only country dealing with problems surrounding borders and immigration. The EU and almost all of Europe have also been dealing with a migrant crisis. The US and the EU both have their own immigration issues, and many people think of them of having the same kind of problem but do they require the same solution? When many people hear about immigration today and news involving the US and the EU they think that both parts of the western world are dealing with the same kind of problem and also require a similar solution. Even government officials constantly compare the problems and say that a certain solution would fix the US and the EU, but the US and the EU have some similarities and a lot of differences and is it possible for them to learn from each other?
The European crisis and the influx of immigration in the US have some parallels as they both involve immigration as being the core of the issue but they also have major differences. An NPR interview dives deeper into these differences. In the interview it goes over how Europe is actually allowing many refugees and some world leaders in the EU are supporters of open border policies, but in the US, president Trump vowed to not let any immigrants in in exchange for much stronger border policies. There are also many supporters for closed borders in European countries such as Germany who say that the US should serve as a role model and close their borders off. In the US there is now a backlog of over 750,000 immigrants and it is said it will take many years to process all of them, Germany has a similar issue with long wait times for hopeful immigrants even after the number of migrants entering Germany has dropped significantly since 2015. This was a result of the German government making deals with other countries to prevent a glut and overwhelming migrant influx. Despite President Trumps hopeful talks with Mexico trying to do the same thing he is taking a more hands on approach and trying to build a physical wall instead of diplomacy. Immigrants trying to come from Germany and the US often come for the same reason. In the US immigrants are coming form central America trying to escape poverty and crime, it is the same case with middle eastern refugees trying to escape war in Syria. This highlights some of the similarities and differences between the US and other countries.
The US and the EU are intertwined on their struggle against controlling immigration. The American Foreign Service Association states that immigration in the US and EU is often regarded as a crisis and there is still no end in sight. They also state that the EU has been reliant on American financial aid to help with refugees since the Obama administration but the White House has since changed its stance on this policy now that trump has been elected. In the EU countries have partnered with many other nations such as the ones that are in a good geographical place to help such as Turkey, to work together on a solution which as been proved effective and has worked on putting a limit on huge influxes of migrants making the problem more manageable to deal with. The US on the other hand has worked alone to solve its issues such as when Trump signed an order that would ban immigration from certain middle eastern countries that he deemed were a danger to national security. This resulted in the many countries in the EU breaking off ties with the US on migration issues, resulting in the US being left almost completely alone to solve its issues. But in the EU there is still a lot of disagreement on how best to go about this problem. Countries work together on certain things but they are still often divided on many aspects, there are also many calls for the countries to unite to act as one.
In the EU it seems like everybody has a different opinion on what to do, and the more arguing that happens the more people suffer which is why in Europe it is such a talked about issue because in a New York Times article it says that more than 14,000 people have been recorded dead of missing in the Mediterranean sea trying to reach countries like Italy, and even more people are held up in refugee camps and forced to wait with no other option. The conditions in these camps are often said to be terrible which is why so many people are eager for a solution as they know the longer they wait for European countries to argue the more people will end up suffering. European counties have been under a lot of pressure around their actions and some countries are now at the point where they are just avoiding the problem and their nations legal and moral responsibilities states the New York Times again.
In Europe and the US there seems to be a vast divide in opinions and the longer the arguments go on the more refugees and immigrants have to wait. For some it seems hopeless as waiting lists for citizenship is scheduled to take many years and those who were once hopeful are now forced to wait in often inhumane conditions which has caused a lot of controversy with human rights. But despite all of the bad news, there is hope. Which comes in the form of the Netherlands who have developed a system. This system is a fast-track system and is very efficient in processing refugees and migrants, instead of years this system only takes weeks and it combines empathy and humanity with border control. This is a system many countries are trying to replicate and something other countries could learn by, that instead of politics they combine humanity with border control.
Irregular immigration in the EU: European parliamentary service blog
Contemplating the politics of the EU immigration policy-MUN Planet
Gangs conspiring with officials to smuggle Illegal immigrants into the EU-Daily Express
Sources:
The Differences Between The European Migration Crisis And The Influx To The U.S.-NPR
Europe remains as divided as ever over ‘almost impossible to solve’ migration crisis-CNBC
In U.S. and Europe, Migration Conflict Points to Deeper Political Problems-NY Times
Immigration rows: US and Germany compared-BBC
This was an incredibly complex topic and I commend you for choosing it. It's also admirable that you were interested in thinking about the question of immigration policy in the context of international issues. It can feel a little overwhelming, but thank you for working hard to provide proof that we can think, study, and learn about these issues if we're willing to.
ReplyDeleteThe information and research showed a depth understanding of the similarities and differences of the policies of separate nations. The thesis and conclusion were slightly vague. An additional paragraph concluding the analysis of the different systems and expansion on the system developed in the Netherlands would help clarify.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting how you compared and contrasted the two, but the information about europe was slightly vague. And, for the thesis i would make it more of an argument and less of a question. but other than that it was really good
ReplyDeleteThis article taking the same problem of immigration with the US and EU was really interesting. The way you determined the differences and similarities and even how the two entities are trying to solve the problem and how others have more successfully solved the issue. The sources are quality and the way you were transparent about when you used the source allowed a more accurate depiction of the problem.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you compared the US problem to the EU problems and then ended up contrasting them later on in the essay. The topic is a very good one for an argument and I think you did a very goof job on writing about it.
ReplyDeleteYour writing sounds professional but also easy to read and understand. Including both the US and EU is really interesting and shows you dove deep into this topic and know a lot about it.
ReplyDelete