Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 14 November 2018 - Strasbourg

Response to the caravan of Central American migrants at the Mexican border (debate)

  Nathan Gill, on behalf of the EFDD Group. – Madam President, the entire world has been gripped by the migration crisis. It’s not just in the European Union, but it’s also in the United States. We share a common challenge when it comes to dealing with the millions of people who are trying to illegally cross borders. In recent weeks, the United States has seen a migrant caravan consisting of thousands of people travelling from Central America to the US border. We’re witnessing an organised mass migration of economic migrants on a scale that has never been seen before and this, quite simply, is economic migration. Both here and in the EU and over there in the US there are legitimate and legal routes for seeking genuine asylum, but these migrant caravans should not lead to permanent residence in the US.

It has been said in this debate that they are not criminals. But if you enter a country illegally, you are breaking laws and you are therefore a criminal. I think President Trump is right to send thousands of US troops to the border to stop the illegal entry of the migrants and to protect their national security.

Let’s just point out that the migrants are now in Mexico. Why are they not staying in Mexico? There are 129 million people who live in Mexico quite happily. Are we saying that everybody in Mexico should be leaving Mexico to go to America as well because it’s unsafe there, or are we saying that the migrants should stay in Mexico now that they are there?

While some argue that the numbers of migrants in the caravan are small, they set a precedent and encourage others to make this dangerous journey to the US. Since 2017, multiple caravans have headed to the border, and each time they are getting bigger and bigger. On our own soil we have seen the effects of mass migration, especially the terrible death toll of migrants crossing turbulent seas in boats completely unfit for that purpose. International law is being broken and EU treaties are just being ignored. A government’s main duty is the protection and the security of its citizens. This includes securing your nation’s border – it’s just common sense. Leaders in Europe would do well to learn from President Trump’s response to what’s happening at the US border instead of just continually pointing their fingers and complaining.