World government as the solution to illegal immigration

We’ve puzzled before over the claim that EU expansion is the answer to the problem of illegal immigration. Statements of UN officials such as Ruud Lubbers, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, suggest the reason:

“Europe’s asylum and migration problems cannot be addressed in Europe alone … It is in the regions of origin that the real solutions begin … Creating conditions where refugees feel safe and are willing to return home, and stay home, is not only the long-term solution, it is the cost-effective solution … It seems folly to spend millions on reinforcing borders, deterrence measures, custody and detention centres, when with far greater effect, the money could be spent responding to the needs of refugees in the regions they are coming from.”

So it’s silly to try to keep people out; the real solution is to transform the world so they see no reason to leave home. (Note that although Dr. Lubbers may seem an airhead that’s not really a photograph of him, and that his views are quite normal among officials responsible for these issues.)
Posted by Jim Kalb at July 05, 2002 12:35 PM | Send