Coronavirus: Lockdown for Europeans, Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants
European governments are using the coronavirus pandemic to grant mass amnesties to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Coronavirus: Lockdown for Europeans, Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants
Soeren Kern | Gatestone Institute | May 12, 2020
European governments are using the coronavirus pandemic to grant mass amnesties to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. While Europe is experiencing an economic shock without precedent, and tens of millions of Europeans have lost their livelihoods, migrants in Europe illegally are being showered with free housing and healthcare.
In Italy, where public debt is forecast to reach 160% of GDP this year, the left-wing coalition government has announced a plan to grant amnesty to at least 600,000 migrants in the country illegally. They would receive residency permits, initially valid for six months, that could be renewed in perpetuity.
The so-called Marshall Plan for Agriculture is the brainchild of Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova, who argues that the migrants are essential because they are picking crops and caring for the elderly during the coronavirus crisis. Opponents of the measure say that only a small fraction of the undocumented immigrants in Italy are currently working in agriculture or hospice care.
