The ongoing debate that never seems to be solved.

Recent years in our country have been riddled with story after story of illegal immigrants reaching our shores. Eventually this has built up to much protesting from the Maltese citizens.

We've brought up many accusations against these people, however the problem is that not all of them are just. Some of the good points mentioned, and let me emphasize on the fact that I agree with them and they are not related to racism in any way, are:

• Malta cannot physically handle the situation on its own, as it is already one of the most densely populate countries in Europe and the figures related to illegal immigration are overwhelming. It is receiving very minimal international help and therefore has to carry most of the burden on its own.
• A portion of these illegal immigrants are abusing the Refugee treaties and conventions which have been signed by our country.

Now, alongside these fair protests are some unfair judgements which I think should be pointed out. First of all, many of us think that EVERY illegal immigrant should get their ass kicked out of here and sent back to their homeland. After discussing it out with Jo we both agreed that, while a certain amount of these people are indeed abusing the Refugee treaties and conventions, some aren't and they have a truly valid reason for fleeing their country. For example, the country may be going through a civil war. These people really did not have any other option and truly deserve to be helped and to live a better and safe life elsewhere rather than in their own country.

Jo then explained that the proper procedures should be carried out in Malta with the arrival of illegal immigrants. These include verifying the reason for their escape from the country so that the proper action can be taken. That way, those who really need help can be treated while those who abused from the situation can be dealt with properly.

What I hope is that everyone else understands that there are those who really do need help, and we should reach out to these people. Also, I hope that we do not protest out of racism, believing that every African should be shunned out due to their different cultural background and skin colour. It's time to take action for our country's safety, but let us not do it with the wrong mentality.