Chandigarh, July 26
Thousands of illegal immigrants from India, particularly from Punjab, are in a quandary as the Italian government has declared a “national state of emergency over illegal immigration”.
“The number of illegal immigrants in Italy from Punjab today number about 9,000,” says Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, a former MP and president of the Lok Bhalai Party.
“It was expected as some of the European countries, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, besides Italy, had been grappling with the illegal immigration from non-EU member states for the past several years. After Italy, similar steps may be taken by other countries,” cautions Ramoowalia.
Reports from Italy quoting official sources maintain that the ministry of interior was confronting a persistent and exceptional influx of non-EU citizens. The report further said 9,342 immigrants had arrived between the start of the year and the end of June this year. This is double the figure for the previous year and there were at present more than 1,000 illegal immigrant at the overcrowded refugee camp in Lampedusa. Some of the illegal immigrants had been repatriated or deported, but many of them had been in the immigrant camps in different parts of Italy.
Investigations reveal that many agents use Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain as a transit point or conduit for smuggling illegal
immigrants into more affluent European and North American countries.
In 2001-2002, Italy had declared general amnesty for illegal immigrants.
“At that time, I had camped in Italy for almost three weeks and persuaded the Indian Embassy to open 38 special counters to give illegal immigrants from India documents to facilitate them to become legal immigrants,” reveals Ramoowalia holding that the Indian mission overseas were least helpful to “our youngsters who had been duped and cheated of lakhs of rupees by unauthorised travel and manpower agents. Many of them land in illegal immigrants camps and others get inhuman treatment and even some lose their lives in their endeavour to make western nations their new home,” adds Ramoowalia.
