Quote Originally Posted by Adrian II
Horrible as it may be, that tuna net was the captain's decision, not EU policy...
You are right of course, but the EU's abysmal policies on immigration lead to these kind of decisions being taken. That captain is just one among many - at least he gave them a tuna net to cling to, most sail on by. The story illustrates not just one instance of inhumanity, but the bankruptcy of Europe's immigration policy.

The northern countries which are the destination of many of these migrants put enormous pressure on the frontier countries and the Magreb, without an awful lot in the way of practical support. Indeed, they mostly get condemnation, as happened to Spain a couple of years ago for granting an amnesty. Everyone blames everyone else, so it's no wonder that the more unscrupulous think that landing their tuna is far preferable to the blame game.

The flow of migrants is not going to stop - with desertification and economic disaster encroaching around the Sahel, it is only going to increase. Instead of trying to shape a Fortress Europe policy that is bound to fail - politicians should look at a map of Europe for once and measure the borders, alongside a consideration of the enormous courage human beings can show to overcome adversity - we need to be imaginative.

Most importantly would be to set up mechanisms whereby it is attractive for people to stay in their own countries, and pathways for workers to immigrate legally and without relying on traffickers. The economic costs of uncontrolled immigration are high and getting higher - it would be worth our while investing in such proactive measures. Politically however, it gets harder and harder to sell the idea, as more politicians grab the populist, anti-immigration placards and in so doing, make the immigrants faceless and inhuman.

At its hardest, the suggestion made earlier to rescue, feed, process and then deport back within 24 hours would at least have the merit of humanity.

Hoping that they will all drown and thus go away is a policy only PanzerJager would be proud of.