The Dangers of Illegal Immigration to North America and Europe

Illegal immigration has been in the news in the US for a long time because of the porous border with Mexico. However, the topic has become very important and contentious in Europe as well, especially since the 2015 migration crisis. The aim of this article is not to get into nitty gritty details concerning the specific causes of the illegal migration, as there are innumerable sources available covering that. Instead, we will analyse the inherent dangers of allowing in large numbers of people from culturally incompatible cultures.

North America and Europe have common European values, which can be traced back through the Renaissance, Christianity, Roman and Greek culture. The economic and cultural success of Europe and North America (mainly the US and Canada) and also Australia and New Zealand are all based on common roots. Allowing in illegal immigrants en masse from Asia, Africa, and South/Central America has lead to cultural conflicts, self-segregation of incoming groups, and societal tensions.

Allowing in smaller numbers of immigrants gives them time to become a part of the majority society and culture, and allows them to still keep their own heritage, without leading to ghettoization and no-go zones as has been the case with large amounts of illegal immigrants who have no intention of becoming part of the host country. Incomers should be expected to respect and accept the culture of the country they have moved to, which does not mean they need to give up their own identities. However, having areas of cities filled with people who live for generations without learning the majority language and culture has only lead to conflict and resentment from both the immigrant and majority sides.

Immigration to the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe should by no means be stopped, but it needs to be kept within well organized and clear constraints. Proper vetting of immigrants is essential, and this obviously cannot be done with illegal immigration. If laws become lax, more and more people arrive illegally as they feel they will be allowed to stay anyway. This is not the way to go, because it causes chaos. Law and order will lead to controlled immigration. Being lax with illegal immigration is basically an open invitation. Cultural cohesion is important. Multiculturalism is also only positive when it is based on mutual respect. No respect leads to ghettoization and societies within societies.

Countries who are strict with illegal immigration oftentimes have to face the charge of being "racist" or "nationalist", which is unfair and the result of oversimplified thinking. All countries have the inherent right to decide who can settle in their country, and no international organization or NGO has a right to try and influence these national decisions. Those calling for unlimited immigration and a dissolution of national borders are irresponsible and refuse to see the cultural, societal and economic implications of not controlling the immigration process. Having borders is a natural human need.

The current COVID-19 crisis has temporarily reduced illegal immigration due to strong border controls. This has actually proven that the claims of pro-illegal immigration voices saying that it is impossible to close borders is wrong. Strict border controls are indeed possible, as we have all seen. The migration question will again come to the fore within a few months after the calming of the COVID crisis.