At a time when simple rhetoric prevails over complex debate, with the far right increasingly prevalent on the streets, in institutions, and in the media, the issue of immigration cannot be addressed with a facile cry of alarm, nor can it become a source of political bickering, as we have seen recently.
If public institutions want to seriously address this issue, they have two pillars to do so: human rights and planning. The former are non-negotiable. The people who arrive deserve respect and consideration. This also requires an organization capable of responding to their right to seek a decent life. And the latter, planning, is essential: islands with limited resources need to plan their carrying capacity, but this implies discussing the entire model, especially the burden of the nearly 20 million tourists, holiday residents, and the population growth. It cannot be that those who arrive in such precarious circumstances and with such an uncertain future are criminalized and the spotlight is placed on them, while free rein is given to European residents or investment funds that arrive with millions to buy homes and expel neighbors. At this moment, the alarm over immigration obscures other flows that are much more decisive for our future.
And there is no future if we become communities that look with suspicion on the other, those who have less, while—yes—they fill them with jobs that suffer the worst conditions. The future can only involve a cohesive, respectful society capable of managing all situations, as well as its diversity, with intelligence and dignity.
