Addressing Racism, Islamophobia Key to Legal Migration: Spanish NGO
Helena Maleno, the spokesperson for the organization that focuses on the movement of migrants from Africa to Europe, emphasized that a robust legal immigration system is essential for sustaining Europe's economic framework. However, she pointed out that no significant measures have been taken to establish such a system.
"If we do not solve the problems of racism and Islamophobia in Europe, we cannot talk about legal migration," Maleno told Anadolu Agency.
Maleno also drew attention to the increasing influence of far-right politics in the European Parliament, expressing concern that this shift could exacerbate the already severe challenges of irregular migration.
“We are in a critical period. The number of irregular migrants who died during the journey to Europe was at an intolerable level in 2023 (with 6,618 deaths). This year is even more catastrophic,” she said.
According to Maleno, the ascendancy of far-right ideologies threatens to further deteriorate human rights within the context of immigration, potentially leading to a rise in deaths, criminal activities, and the exploitation of migrants.
She criticized the longstanding manipulation of the immigration issue in Europe, accusing political narratives of distorting the truth for three decades.
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Regarding migration policies, there is little difference between the approaches of far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and leftist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, she said, noting that one vocalizes their stance, while the other silently concurs.
She expressed strong reservations about the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, adopted in May, which she believes is founded on commercial interests and could lead to an increase in illegal trafficking of minors and a higher mortality rate among migrants.
Maleno lamented the indifference of Europeans towards the fatalities at sea, accusing them of perceiving these tragedies as mere spectacles. She criticized the lack of a proactive search and rescue response despite available information.
She also pointed to the accelerated movement of migrants towards the Spanish coast from Senegal last year and from Mauritania this year, with Mauritania becoming a key transit point for African migrants heading to Europe.
Source: Agencies
