The Untold Damage of Immigration through Migration in Europe

This hub was published many months ago when tempers about migrants were rising and news agencies worldwide were running story after story about the crisis. The American election has taken the news spotlight, but the problem still exists in Europe. Most of the original hub still remains original, with cells marked update containing current information.

The European continent is being run over with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Africa with Greece, Italy, and Hungary bearing the heaviest part of the invasion right now. Using anything that resembles a seaworthy vessel, entire villages are making the dangerous trek across the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. The islands of Lesbos, Kos, Chios, and Samos, once quiet and secluded islands are now weigh-stations for the displaced. Raw human waste, garbage, and constant fighting between the different ethnic groups have transformed paradise into a perpetual war-zone, with residents in constant fear for their safety and their personal belonging.

With their sights set on settling down permanently in Germany, England, and Sweden, the human wave is both motivated and aggressive. Overcrowded refugee camps in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jorden are no longer satisfactory for many people who have begun to realize that a refugee camp is only a temporary stop – these people are looking for something more. They come with only the clothes on their backs and whatever they can carry, hoping that some friendly nation will give them asylum and a chance to have a better life than what they left behind.

Poverty, political instability, warlords, a Syrian civil war that has lasted for four years and has no sign of ending, and most notably the rise of dangerous and radical religious groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram are some of the major catalysts which are behind the migrations. What the European Union is experiencing now is just the tip of the iceberg. As more of the displaced immigrants are accepted into Europe, many more will follow until a tipping point is reached or things improve in their home countries.

Politicians in many of the developed nations are making bold claims on how many of these illegal migrants their nations will accept. Others have gone further and there are numerous facts floating around the media about the number of migrants being such a miniscule percentage of the overall population of Europe, that they can easily be absorbed. With the generous state sponsored benefit systems offered in France, Germany and England, it’s no wonder why they have become destinations for the displaced. Italy’s unelected government has agreed to take many, angering the native population. Those host countries pay, yes pay each asylum seeker about $50.00 per week and forbid them from working for several months until they are either accepted or declined to stay. With the hundreds of thousands of people expected to cross into Europe this year, the big questions are looming, namely why are they allowing it and where is the funding coming from?

European Council President Donald Tusk has warned illegal economic migrants against coming to Europe, during a new push to solve the EU migrant crisis. With 25,000 migrants being stranded in Greece and most European nations instituting measures to stop migrants, violence is increasing and tempers are flaring.

After meeting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens on Thursday, Mr Tusk said he was addressing all illegal migrants. "Do not come to Europe," he said. "Do not believe the smugglers. Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all for nothing."

Hungary, one of the hardest hit countries started aggressive efforts to build a fence and close its borders to neighboring country Serbia to stop the flood of humans. Riotous activity at train stations are commonplace as refugees scramble to get into the system before it closes with clashes happening almost daily. There are even stories about devout Muslims converting to Christianity as a possible angle to help them get into one of the better countries. It’s taking a toll that is currently unmeasurable on the European Union. With massive unemployment, a shaky Euro, and a generally weak financial system the entire structure of Europe seemed on the verge of a breakup and with the addition of additional mouths to feed and little job market or economic growth on the horizon, the native populations are getting restless.

Hungary is set to split Europe in two by building a huge network of fences along its entire southern border in a desperate bid to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. Earlier this week Viktor Orban made the announcement of his intent to build a 280 mile long razor wire barrier which will seal Hungary off from Southern Europe. This fence will meet up with the already constructed fence that separates Hungary from Croatia and Serbia. This will create an impassible barrier for migrants heading toward Germany.

The common citizens of many countries are making their voices heard and what they are saying is “go home.” One of the many issues that have been raised is the denigration of the Christian roots or most European nations. With the influx of Muslims from both Africa and the Middle East who show no intent on assimilating, but instead dominating the areas they settle, many fear losing what they had and others are left in disbelief that their elected leaders are just handing it over. The language barrier was once overcome if a person had a basic understanding of German, French, and English, but now there are too many choices and the non-European ones are taking a more dominant place in local cultures.

People are living in fear in many areas as their lives are being disrupted and their local law enforcement teams are unable to keep up with the ever-growing human wave. Others find themselves caught in the moral dilemma of helping their fellow human being, but at a cost to themselves and their future. Some are going so far as to call this the beginning of the destruction of the European Union and the starry-eyed vision that open borders would be the utopian paradise they only dreamed about. Others see the good in many of these refugees but also realize that criminals and terrorists are making their way into Europe riding the human wave.

Despite the freezing temperatures across much of Europe, a total of 91,671 migrants entered Germany during January 2016 that can be accounted for, adding to the millions that arrived in 2015. German citizens are being told that national expenditures on migrants will cross the one trillion Euro mark later this year. With most of the arrivals in 2015 being single young men, Germany is experiencing a crime wave like never before. Sexual assaults in the thousands, property damage, and street gangs forming are transforming the nation into a culture of fear and angst. Every day there is a migrant crime reported in every major population area. German citizens are starting to stand up which will only escalate the violence.

As leaders give away the hard earned tax dollars of the indigenous people to foreign refugees, the word on the street gets angrier and more pronounced. Words of far right people, once ignored in many of the socialist countries, are now being heard and perhaps heeded in the near future. It’s obvious that the European Union is incapable of stopping the masses at this point in time and the damage will be severe. The rise of anti-immigration politics is gaining traction with the new government of Denmark tightening immigration laws and flatly stating to immigrants not to come. The National Front party in France is openly expressing that the only reason Germany is taking them is for cheap labor. A petition to stop immigration of all types altogether in the U.K has already garnered over 100,000 signatures. The right wing Freedom party, a populist group in Austria has made huge gains over the last few months.

The Liberal press of the world has been in full spin mode for months, even exploiting the death of a small boy for publicity to the migrant “cause,” and that story is being hotly debated as it’s full of holes and lacks real credibility. Others cite that Europe needs these migrants and cannot continue without them as they perform jobs Europeans won’t do – very reminiscent of the situation happening in American with illegal aliens. Even the Pope has weighed in on the crisis adding a new level of moral crisis for the devout.

So now we are left to wait, and watch the pressure cooker we call the European Union. Some predict it will crack under the strain. Also it is expected that many politicians currently in office will not survive at their next respective elections. And what will be the long term damage from a problem which isn’t going away any time soon unless some brave people stand up and say, “sorry, you’ll have to return home and deal with your country’s problems, not bring them to ours like an infection.”

With Europe tightening things up, many wonder if the next stop is America?