European Policies and Mechanisms to Combat Illegal Immigration in the Light of the Repercussions of the Libyan Revolution

Abstract

The phenomenon of illegal immigration is one of the most important issues that are presently worrying the international community because of its impact on exporting and receiving countries as well as transit countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent growing desire to expand the European Union, in addition to the escalation of migration as a result of social, economic, and security factors experienced in several African countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, European countries started enacting several laws and taking many measures in order to organize and decrease the flows of migration. This, however, led to the increase of illegal immigration. This phenomenon is caused by wars, conflicts, natural disasters like drought, or by political factors related to the absence of freedom and the dominance of dictatorship, as well as pressures of social and economic factors related to the search for job opportunities and better life-conditions.

The concern of the European Union‟s governments about illegal immigration started in an attempt to deal with this phenomenon and to find suitable solutions to it in cooperation with the countries of the southern bank of the Mediterranean. This concern, however, focused principally on the necessity to stop the influx of illegal immigrants from Libya to European shores with pure security mechanisms.

This fact drives us to question whether the policies and the mechanisms adopted by European countries to confront illegal immigration from Africa to Europe are the appropriate solutions or not, and what are the repercussions of the Libyan revolution on the phenomenon of illegal immigration to Europe?