Immigration in Europe: Syrian, Afghan, and Eritrean Migrants

Introduction

The issue of immigration in Europe has become one of the most pressing subjects, particularly for governments within the European Union. In contrast to the United States, which has experienced immigration for centuries, this issue represents a more recent demographic shift for Europe, developing substantially over the past five decades. There are large numbers of migrants who attempt to move into Europe and settle there. This paper discusses three immigrant groups that form the majority of those seeking to enter EU borders: Syrians, Afghans, and Eritreans.

Immigrant Groups and Their Push and Pull Factors

There are numerous physical, social, and economic reasons that play a significant role in why people migrate to different nations, and these factors are commonly categorized as "push" and "pull" factors. Push factors are reasons connected to the region of origin, while pull factors are reasons linked to the region of destination. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 350,000 migrants were identified at EU borders between January and August 2015, compared to an estimated 280,000 migrants detected throughout the entire year of 2014. It is also important to note that this figure does not account for the many who entered the EU without being detected (BBC, para. 4).

The largest immigrant group detected at the EU border is Syrians. The primary push factor driving this group's migration is the devastating civil war, which has caused large numbers of people to flee. The civil war in Syria began when the government attempted to suppress Arab Spring demonstrators, which led to a full-scale rebellion. As a result, more than half a million Syrians have been displaced and have left the country in search of safe destinations. Most of these immigrants are refugees and asylum seekers. Another significant push factor is homelessness, as many people within Syria have been rendered without shelter and are forced to live in camps inside Syria or in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey (Semple, para. 1).

A further important push factor is the lack of economic growth. The civil war has caused political instability and mass displacement, resulting in high unemployment and very limited economic potential. On the other hand, pull factors include the fact that European nations benefit from access to a workforce willing to perform jobs that local citizens are often unwilling to undertake. These pull factors are largely rooted in the economic opportunities available in European countries. Nations such as the United Kingdom and Germany have strong welfare systems. For instance, refugees and asylum seekers are entitled to access healthcare and to receive social benefit allowances if unemployed. Another factor is that many immigrants may have cultural ties to family members and friends already living in European countries.

A large number of migrants whose destination is Greece make use of the comparatively short journey from Turkey to the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, and Kos. These voyages are most often undertaken in small wooden boats or rubber dinghies. By contrast, the journey from Libya to Italy is considerably longer and more dangerous (BBC, para. 6).

This danger is illustrated by several tragedies that occurred during this period. In August 2015, two boats carrying around five hundred migrants sank off Zuwara in Libya. In February 2015, it was feared that approximately three hundred migrants drowned while attempting to cross the rough Mediterranean Sea. In April 2015, a shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa in Italy caused the deaths of approximately 800 people. The chaos prevailing in Libya has also given traffickers the opportunity to exploit these migrants (BBC, para. 6).

The next groups seeking entry into the European Union are Afghans and Eritreans. The push factors for both groups center on conditions in their home countries. In Syria's case, there are direct threats to life regardless of which side of the conflict one is on. In Eritrea's case, a tyrannical military regime and a stagnant economy prompt thousands to cross its land borders each month. Harsh and indiscriminate military conscription drives can accelerate these exoduses, as can clashes at border checkpoints combined with an infamous "shoot to kill" policy (Eliott, para. 3).

Conditions in neighboring transit countries—such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Israel, Egypt, and Libya—can have a substantial impact on whether migrants and refugees choose to stay or continue toward the EU. The construction of a barrier on Israel's border and military operations in the Sinai Peninsula have sharply reduced the flow of Eritreans through Egypt into Israel and opened an alternative trafficking route through Khartoum and on to Libya. In neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan, encampment policies restrict the free movement of migrants and limit their access to services, education, and work, discouraging many from settling there (Eliott, para. 4). In Egypt, following the removal of President Morsi from power, there was a series of attacks on Syrian migrants in the country, who were accused of sympathizing with the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

European Destination and Settlement

One of the primary destination countries for immigrants in the European Union is Greece. According to Park (para. 8), by 2012 approximately 50% of migrants entering the EU unlawfully did so through Greece. This trend was curtailed the following year after Greek authorities improved border controls through Operation Aspida, which included the construction of a barbed-wire barrier along the border between Greece and Turkey. However, by July 2015, Greece had once again become the favored Mediterranean point of entry (Park, para. 8).

Statistics indicated that there were 132,240 unlawful EU border crossings by mid-year 2015, a figure five times higher than that recorded for the same period in the previous year. A large proportion of these migrants were from Syria and Afghanistan, journeying from Turkey to Greece in the first half of the year. It is significant to note that this surge of migrants into Greece coincided with the host country facing its most severe debt crisis, which adversely affected both the banking system and the government's administrative capacity (Park, para. 8).

Italy was another major European destination for migrants. The Central Mediterranean corridor connecting Italy and Libya was the most heavily traveled route for migrants bound for Europe in the preceding year. According to Park (para. 9), more than 170,000 unauthorized border crossings into Italy took place. Toward the end of that year, the country established a search and rescue program known as Mare Nostrum, which saved the lives of more than 100,000 migrants (Park, para. 9).

This program was subsequently replaced by a smaller border-control initiative known as the Frontex Triton Program, whose operating budget was two-thirds less than that of its predecessor. However, in April 2015, EU leaders tripled the operating budget of this program to nine million euros per month, though they declined to extend its scope to include search and rescue missions (Park, para. 9).

Although the number of unauthorized border crossings into Italy from January to June 2015 continued to rise—reaching 91,302—the growing death toll, estimated at more than 2,000 during this period, and the deteriorating security situation in Libya led many migrants to seek alternative routes to Europe through Greece and the Balkans. Approximately 90% of those using the Italy-Libya channel came from Eritrea and Nigeria (Park, para. 9).

Hungary also emerged as a preferred destination for migrants seeking entry and asylum in the European Union. A growing number of Afghans and Syrians traveling from Greece and Turkey via Serbia and Macedonia made this EU member state a focal point of the migration crisis in Europe (Park, para. 10).

An increasing number of Kosovo residents journeying through Serbia further added to the influx of migrants into Hungary. From the beginning of 2015 until mid-year, approximately 102,342 undocumented migrants crossed into Hungary (Park, para. 10). This large influx prompted the country's prime minister to construct a barbed-wire barrier along the border with Serbia in July 2015.

An opinion survey of the Hungarian general public found that 46% of those polled believed the country should not allow any migrants or asylum seekers to enter under any circumstances. As a result, migrants who were stranded and prevented from traveling on westbound trains ultimately made Budapest's Keleti train station a makeshift refugee camp (Park, para. 10).

Works Cited

BBC News. "Why Is EU Struggling with Migrants and Asylum?" September 2015.

Collett, Elizabeth. "Immigrant Integration in Europe in a Time of Austerity." Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2011.

Eliott, Sarah. "The Push and Pull of the World's Most Dangerous Migration Route — What's Really Behind the Flock of Thousands to Europe These Days?" Politics Inspires, 2015.

Giovagnoli, Mary, and Samantha Yale. "New Study on Immigrant Integration Compares and Ranks the United States, Canada, and Europe." American Immigration Council, 2011.

Kunwar, Rajiv. "Undocumented Migrants' Access to Healthcare in Germany: Limitations and Strategies," 2010.

Park, Jeanne. "Europe's Migration Crisis." Council on Foreign Relations.

Semple, Kirk. "Fleeing the Bombs in Aleppo, Syria, and Ending Up in New Jersey." New York Times, 2014.

Thet, Kyaing Kyaing. "Pull and Push Factors of Migration: A Case Study in the Urban Area of Monywa Township, Myanmar," 2014.