European Immigration

With the 2016 U.S. Presidential election well underway, one of the major topics for debate is that of immigration, specifically controversy over illegal immigrants from Mexico entering the United States. However, largely overlooked is the fact that Europe is experiencing a crisis over immigration, one that is of greater scope and significance. European immigration has become a crisis because many refugees are dying in the attempt to gain freedom.

Many Western European nations experienced a surge in immigration following World War II. Many European nations are now multiethnic countries because the influx of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. Norway, for example, saw the percent of its population that were either immigrants or the children of immigrants rise from 6.3% in 2000 to 15.6% in 2015.

However the summer of 2015 witnessed a turning point in European immigration. A rising number of refugees from the Middle East, driven by conflict in Syria and Iraq, are flooding into Europe. Many of these refugees are attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, with substantial numbers dying in the attempt. In April 2015, for example, five boats carrying two thousand refugees sank in the Mediterranean, leaving 1200 casualties. European immigration has become a crisis, with some nations attempting to block refugees from crossing their borders, and no solution on the horizon.