Kofi Annan talks nonsense about illegal immigration

Photo courtesy of the BBC

"International migration, supported by the right policies, can be highly beneficial for the development both of the countries they come from and of those where they arrive, [but these benefits] are contingent on the rights of the migrants themselves being respected and upheld".

Kofi Annan says that international migration can be highly beneficial for the development both of the countries they come from and of those where they arrive. Yes, Mr Annan! They can be a great burden on the host nations, too; and they can also be very destructive to the fabric of those host nations, especially when these migrants come determined not to integrate into the very societies which are kind enough to welcome them.

If you want to talk about rights, Mr Annan, one should first talk of the rights of the general population of the host countries being respected. Those are the ones who have rights above all others, for they are in the country legally, and have paid their taxes.

Illegal immigrants relinquish their rights as soon as they take the decision to try and enter a country illegally. Any rights they have conferred on them is by virtue of the kindness and generosity of their hosts. So don't give us that balderdash, Mr Annan! Do you think you are talking to children?

Nearly 200 million people now live outside their country of origin - up by about a quarter since 1990, a United Nations report on migration says.

The report by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says most migrants have gone to rich countries - one in five of them to the US.

In some countries money sent home from abroad accounts for a large proportion of the national income.

Mr Annan said migration was a now a major feature of international life.

He described his report to the UN General Assembly as an "early road map for this new era of mobility". Global migrants reach 191 million

Mark Alexander