The Cost of Migrants in Italy

The European migrant and refugee crisis continues to remain one of the issues at the top of media's attention across the world. Most readers may know of the migrant crisis because of the reports on the large number of refugees entering Greece in 2015, such a large amount in fact that it surpassed the previous year's record in a matter of months. What I want to draw attention to today is how media controls our attention and has aimed the world's eyes to look at only certain groups of peoples who have been misplaced. Even worse is the way that media has represented this crisis, portraying refugees and migrants in a much more negative light than they deserve.
Looking specifically at the movement of migrants and refugees entering Italy -- my blog aims to look at Italian immigration rather than immigration and migration as a whole across Europe -- I want to first highlight some of the history of migration into Italy. There are two great films I recommend looking at in regards to migration into Italy. The first is Lamerica, a film directed by Gianni Amelio from 1994. This film highlights Italy's first interactions with migrants; before this point in history the country had only ever experienced emigration. The film is set in Albania and is told through the eyes of a young Italian man, Gino, who attempts to exploit the opening of borders between the two countries. Throughout the film, Gino's eyes are opened to the true situation and desperation that the Albanians are experiencing. This film serves as an interesting representation and exploration of the perspective of Italians and their first occasion in receiving migrants into their country.

The second film I would recommend, even more so than the first, is Come un uomo sulla terra, or, Like a Man On Earth. This film is all the more powerful because it is a documentary told through the eyes of migrants who have successfully made it to Italy, most making the treacherous journey through Libya. As the film highlights, Italy actually made an agreement with Libya in 2008 to halt immigration by providing funds and equipment meant to detain illegal immigrants caught by Libyan officials. This film is the starting point of a scary and tragic truth: the media representation of migrants leaves out much of the hardship and danger of the journeys they have made and focuses on the affects of the country receiving these refugees and migrants instead. Articles and reports often attempt to highlight how detrimental these newly arrived people are to cities and countries, but this is a gross manipulation of the truth.

Most political leaders who speak out against refugees and migrants entering the country usually claim that migrants cost Italy a lot of money and use this as their primary reasoning for keeping newcomers out of the country. However, recent focus on migrants has become much more vicious. An article published on Newsweek reported the alarming rise of violence against migrants coming into Italy, pointing to the anti-migrant rhetoric from the country's politicians and the media as the root of this violence. The prejudice against migrants has risen dangerously: "a recent survey suggests that a third of Italians believe that migrants should be abandoned at sea and there have been reports of angry scenes at locations across the country as migrants are distributed at various refugee centres". The article also cites various political leaders, such as Giorgio Vianello, who argued that "residents should be given licenses to carry guns on request" in response to the influx of migrants. In Come un uomo, the film brings to light that Italy even chose to stop boats in the middle of their cross across the sea and deliver migrants to Libya where they were contained in inhumane prisons. Why would Italy condemn so many people to such an awful situation?

Before using the regular argument that there are not enough resources available for newly arrived migrants and refugees, I want to direct your attention to an article published by NPR highlighting an Italian town that was saved by the arrival of newcomers: A Small Town In Italy Embraces Migrants And Is Reborn. A town called Riace was in danger of coming a ghost town and had a high level of unemployment before the arrival of migrants. When the mayor of the town chose to welcome refugees in and offered them job training and moved them into housing that had been unoccupied, life was brought back into the town. Businesses have been able to expand, refugees have been able to find work and have been able to become fully acclimated to the Italian life. Obviously, this is a form of incorporaing newcomers into a country that works much more easily on a small scale, but it serves to highlight that not every arrival of new migrants is met with despair and frustration by locals. This article presents such a contrast from the rest of what is usually presented by the media.
In addition to the example of the town of Riace, Matteo de Bellis, a campaigner at Amnesty International, stated in Newsweek that "the fear held by some that the country will be swamped by migrants is unfounded, as the increase in those seeking asylum in Italy in the past year has not made the situation unmanageable for a country of Italy’s size and wealth". So if Italy is indeed capable of bringing in migrants, why do we listen to the media as they claim that newcomers are impossible to take care of?
If we give in to the fear created by the media, we run the risk of destroying the lives of countless others who are in need of a safe haven. As one article, which reported on a group of refugees saved by the Italian coastguard, pointed out: "European efforts to shut down the migrant sea crossing from Turkey to Greece will encourage more people to attempt the more dangerous Mediterranean passage from Libya to Italy" (Italian Coastguard). As concerns over the entry of migrants and refugees into various countries rise, Italy must become ready for the inevitable. These groups of people are desperate enough to make the crossing from their country to any place that appears to be a viable escape, no matter the difficulties they face in their journey. Why would we welcome them with such violence and hate when they have no choice but to flee their own country in the hope of a better future? 

The only thing that I can ask for from these contemplations is that you, as the reader, become acquainted with the plight of migrants. Find stories, like Come un uomo sulla terra, that come straight from the source. Do not let the first story to pop up on a news website be the only information you read about in regards to this issue. Become educated, share with others and do not let the truth of these people's lives be lost amidst political and popular opinion.