Belgian Senator: 'Elites' To Blame For Mass Immigration Crisis
The former Secretary-General of Médecins Sans Frontières says countries 'lost control'
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The former Secretary-General of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Alain Destexhe has denounced "elites" over the mass immigration crisis, their handling of the problem and its long term effects.
Dr. Destexhe, who was first elected in 1995, published a book entitled 'Immigration and Integration: Before It’s Too Late,' which conveys an alarming perspective on the integration problems as a result of mass immigration.
Dr. Destexhe voices concerns over immigration in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro.
The former politician says that countries like France have “lost control” of immigration, saying: “About three-quarters of immigration, in Belgium as in France, is beyond the control of the country’s administrative authorities.
“This immigration, over which we have almost no control, comes either through family reunion [chain migration], through an asylum application, or illegally.”
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“A large part of the immigrant population is not integrated, neither economically (it depends strongly on the social system), nor culturally, which is even more serious: they live according to value systems that are sometimes incompatible with our laws, our history, and our traditions,” he added.
One of the most significant concerns for Destexhe “Family reunion," noting that "chain migration" accounted for almost half of the total immigration into Belgium.
He then slammed Belgium’s formerly lax naturalization laws, claiming that they led to Brussels being nearly one-third “new Belgians.”
“I think it’s a world record,” he said.
"Eldorado” for migrants
Destexhe referred to the asylum process as a new “Eldorado” for migrants:
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“In Belgium, you have a system of free care, free education, a guaranteed income for society, effective police and justice: I use the word Eldorado.”
Angela Merkel
“During the refugee crisis, I made a trip to Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan: the lives of refugees were not threatened! They lived in difficult conditions, it’s true, but they were not in danger.”
“To say that they had to be welcomed because their life was threatened was a form of manipulation. We had to help them; it’s a certainty! But we had to do it on the spot; we did not have to let them come to Europe,” he explained.
Opening up borders
The vast influx of refugees to places like Italy, who reportedly turned boats of migrants away and sent them to the European Union allies, has instilled public annoyance over Brussels' immigration policy.
Now European Union member states who, like Italy, refused to take refugees, will have to pay a fee to EU budget or toward development projects in Africa, according to a report presented by France and Germany.
The Franco-German initiative also proposes extending strict rules on how to deal with migrants who entered in the EU after being rescued at sea.
