Research Paper on Immigration and Europe

Introduction

Immigration is an issue that is deeply entrenched in the European history and has been regarded as multifaceted concerning the categories and position of migrant groups. It is however associated with individual positive and adverse effects on the host country. The latest movement of population to Europe has been associated with rising cases of xenophobia and international criminal activities. It has also affected other aspects of the region. The paper will explore the main elements of immigration in Europe which entail the threats to and changes in issues of sovereignty, nationalism, citizenship, integration, and incorporation of refugees and immigrants into the existing European states.

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Europe has been facing a refugee crisis, a phenomenon that has caused the politics of rights to gain impetus and the immigrants being viewed as a threat to nationalism. Some European nations have gone to the extent of forbidding immigrants from gaining entry into their territories. They include Hungary and Austria. Immigrants in Europe are considered a danger to the existing cultural attitudes, social structures, policies and the nationalist ideals. Nationalism has been purported to pave the way for physical and psychological elimination of individuals who are professed to be different. The political boundary of a nation has been depicted to act as a barrier between foreigners and members of the right country. In this way, the community is protected from doctrines of aliens and the rights and history of select groups prioritized (Postelnicescu, 2016). It is apparent that immigrants threaten the nationalism of Europe including their social structures, cultural attitudes, and policies.

Particular efforts have been undertaken by some European nations to protect their nationalism which is threatened by the presence of immigrants. The nationalist backlash has been observed in Europe observed due to the recent invasion of refugees. As such, in Hungary for instance, specific actions have been taken to protect the aspect of nationalism. They have developed new anti-immigrant laws and declined to offer support for the refugee camps and welcome centers. Additionally, Hungary has enforced rules on the media and constructed a fence along the border with Serbia (Jacob, 2018). Therefore, all these actions are geared at protecting the country's nationalism from the threat of refugees.

Sovereignty has been viewed as an endangered concept in Europe for quite a long time. Sovereignty is depicted as the power of the state to control internal matters without facing any external intrusion. It entails such issues as preserving the freedom and borders of a country from foreign meddling during national elections. Immigrants are considered a threat to security resulting to a nation being challenged to protect themselves against the risk. The increased number of migrants are also depicted as the foundation for the possible destruction of states (Cierco & Silva, 2016). On the other hand, the failure of the sovereignty of Europe has been observed in the mass migration of families and children from areas such as Syria. Sometimes unaccompanied children may be arrested at the border and driven by gang violence, police violence, and widespread misconduct. Besides, they may end up suffering from extreme poverty and broken families. It is evident that Europe has failed to provide immigrants a minimum safety level and prospects that would allow them to prosper at home. Their threat to sovereignty is mostly emphasized leading to reinforcement of border enforcement and development of numerous family detention centers.

The sovereignty of a state is grounded on the perception that all countries are equal and independent. The most crucial aspect of state sovereignty is control over its territory and the right to control the movement of migrants. There is a distinctive manifestation between the migrants and nationals in various legal systems. However, migrants have been given rights as societies and have thus developed the desire to establish their presence in the trade field and also obtain diplomatic protection. As such, this is depicted as a way of interfering with sovereignty due to demands laid out by migrants when they arrive in Europe. The rule of state sovereignty is critically a common standard guided by the political and international systems. Such measures grant the power of the state to exercise special control over its jurisdiction. Conversely, in some cases, migrants raise the need for their rights to be fully recognized hindering the efficiency of sovereignty (Casas-Cortes, Cobarrubias & Pickles, 2015).

The migration crisis in Europe has been demonstrating the broad form of divisions within the European Union. During the first six months of 2015, Europe had an exceptional flux of illegal immigrants that was estimated to be close to one hundred and fifty thousand. As such, the European Union member states took the step to put their national interests above the concepts of solidarity. They then hindered specific values and principles such as the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. Besides, the system of border-free was also interfered with in the process (Jacob, 2018).

Citizenship depicts a status of full and equal membership in a radical community that is sovereign. Laws of citizenship may affect migrants and political stability as well. These laws may be the cause of nations being successful in integrating migrants through the utilization of more assimilative policies. Following this strategy, they may not face a significant risk to the political stability and thus do not need much militarization to preserve harmony. High influence of unintegrated but the citizenship maintaining migrants may further raise the hazard to stability (Georgiev, 2011). On the other hand, changing the demography to favor migrants has been observed to have an adverse impact on officers' control over resources and thus make them economically weak. Giving migrants the right to citizenship may also affect the capability of the state to offer the public adequate transportation services, education, and housing. Also, it may stimulate local dislike and criticism against the migrants. The aspect of citizenship of the migrants in Europe has further been linked with difficulty in preserving their norms, values, and languages. It is brought up by their unwillingness to be integrated into the society forcing Europe to adopt severe residency needs. Some of the requirements have stipulated that migrants need to study the culture, history and local language to obtain a residency permit (Baubock, Honohan, Huddleston, Hucheson & Vink, 2013).

Europe has been depicted to be in a crisis due to the issue of integrating migrants. Policies developed have been focusing on how to reduce migrants hence averting the crisis. The East and West of Europe have disagreed on the quotas element. On the other hand, the North and South have debated over the continued capability of agreements that were passed to allow free movement and hold the first state a refugee arrives in as accountable for handling their asylum privilege and offering the required support (Craig, 2015). The issue of integrating over one million migrants in Europe has not been made an agenda. It has been observed that a European Integration Policy does not exist. However, what exists are some Common Basic Principles (CBP) that concentrate on language, education, and respect for the fundamental standards of the European Union. The CBP further focuses on economic support while at the same time identifying the significance of giving comprehension and respect for the cultures of migrants. Migrants have been placed as the primary focus of integration. Recently, disagreements have risen concerning the target of the integration policy. Most governments of the European Union have argued that integration can begin when migrants are given the right to remain. NGOs, on the other hand, have opposed that integration should start with their arrival (Carrera & Atger, 2011).

Migrants are a threat due to the development of populism and mistrust. Also, the capability of the government to manage the vast flows is undermined. Integration of migrants is also tough since most of them are low-skilled. Lack of migrant integration can be related to domestic issues such as political and economic costs, variability and the loss of social interrelation. For Europe to undertaken migrants integration successfully, there must be international cooperation (Craig, 2015).

Britain classifies migrants into different categories that further enable them to select various laws and policies to employ on each one of them as well. Migrants are classified into temporary workers and visitors, students, those who have gone for long-term work, asylum seekers and refugees. For refugees who have fled oppression, for instance, the UK has global responsibilities to provide shelter and clothing (Blinder, 2015). On the other hand, migrants who come from different parts of the world are usually required to apply under a system referred to as tiers that constitute the Points Based System (PBS). The system awards the migrants points based on what they possess concerning experience, skills, and qualifications. Therefore, a migrant with a doctorate and evidence of high earnings will be given more points as compared to those who are less skilled. As such, it will be easier for them to go to the UK (Clayton, 2016).

The policy developing the PBS has structured it to have five tiers. The first and second one covers migrants who are skilled and highly skilled. The third one is for the unskilled workers but has not been implemented, the fourth for students and the fifth one caters for a host of temporary workers and other special groups. Individual adjustments are being made to ensure that these policies are suitable to meet the needs of all stakeholders (Mukhopadhyay & Zou, 2018).

Conclusion

The paper has explored various issues or threats of immigration and Europe ranging from sovereignty, nationalism, citizenship, integration, and incorporation of immigrants and refugees to the European states. It has been found that immigrants pose a danger to the preservation of nationalism and sovereignty. Also, their integration is tough since most of them are low skilled. Domestic issues such as economic and political costs and loss of social interrelation are linked to lack of integrating the migrants. Policies have been designed to handle immigration problems that have been successful and ineffective to some scope.

References

Baubock, R., Honohan, I., Huddleston, T., HUCHESON, D., Shaw, J., & Vink, M. P. (2013). Access to citizenship and its impact on immigrant integration: European summary and standards.

Blinder, S. (2015). Imagined immigration: the impact of different meanings of 'immigrants' in public opinion and policy debates in Britain. Political Studies, 63(1), 80-100.

Carrera, S., & Atger, A. F. (2011). Integration as a two-way process in the EU? Assessing the relationship between the European Integration Fund and the Common Basic Principles on Integration.

Casas-Cortes, M., Cobarrubias, S., & Pickles, J. (2015). Changing borders, rethinking sovereignty: towards a right to migrate. REMHU: Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana, 23(44), 47-60.

Cierco, T., & Silva, J. T. D. (2016). The European Union and the Member States: two different perceptions of border. Revista Brasileira de Politica Internacional, 59(1).

Clayton, G. (2016). Textbook on immigration and asylum law. Oxford University Press.

Craig, G. (2015). Migration and integration. A local and experiential perspective (No. 7). IRIS Working Paper Series.

Georgiev, N. (2011). Positive and negative effects of mass non-European immigration into selected EU member-states(Doctoral dissertation, Masarykova univerzita, Fakulta s...