Immigrant Citizens

The right to be different should not result in a difference of rights. Sami Nair, expert in migration policies, Algerian and French academic argues that the issue is not the closing of borders, but the organisation of mobility. Migratory flows are inevitable and the only way to be able to organize them is coordinating its management, joint, countries of origin with the countries of transit and destination. When we refer to the concept of citizenship we speak of a common belonging based on values. It has nothing to do with race, religion or gender. Civil society is not in public administrations where sprout reactions from xenophobia and irrationality. It is therefore necessary to sensitize the populations and build policies of access to citizenship. Emmanuel Faber brings even more insight to the discussion.

The media are key to spread a correct image on immigration, may favour the integration or cause rejections, shocks and intolerance. The host country should pass membership to that story common that it is the current history of the children of immigrants. They are the citizens of tomorrow and will be the actors in their own integration. Second or third generation immigrants in a Europe that needs replanting, should be considered citizens of the country. According to Nair, all good immigration policy should lie on three pillars: a management fair borders and granting of visas; an integration policy and a plan of co-development whose aim is that immigrants serve as an element of cooperation in their countries of origin, make their remittances may be used for the development of their regions; and stabilize migratory flows.

For a European Union with 27 countries, trace a common immigration policy may seem an impossible task. Each country deals with immigration and manages those flows and borders differently. In general, prevailing economic vision, the open and close the doors according to the demands of cheap labor. We should leave that mere instrumental conception and enter a vision of co-development, that allows to use a portion of the wealth of the host country to help the origin and facilitate its stabilisation.