Lampedusa. It’s a tiny Italian island that lies closer to North Africa than it does to the Italian mainland.  European vacationers know it as a holiday destination.  Thousands of African economic migrants and asylum seekers know it as their best hope to enter Europe. Since mid-February, this image has become more reflective of Lampedusa than this one.

That’s due to the massive changes rocking North Africa.  Libyans, Tunisians, and thousands of sub-Saharans who were living and working in both countries have taken the three-day 90 mile journey from Tunisia to Lampedusa. They’re hoping for safety or a job or both. The challenge for Italy is that due to an EU agreement, each country of first asylum must be the one to determine who is a valid asylum seeker – someone fleeing persecution and therefore eligible to stay – and who is simply an economic migrant. Economic migrants are easily the more numerous. They are identified and deported. End of story.

Until now.

Italy has been begging for the EU’s help with the daily arrivals of boat people.  The EU understands Italy’s plight but doesn’t feel all that bad for them since many countries have more refugees than they do. The tactic of choice has been to remind Italy of their agreement to process people as they arrive.

Italy has taken a different route. They’ve decided to give 20,000 Tunisians a 6-month residence visa, which allow the migrants to cross borders into other EU countries.

Italy knows that most of the Tunisians arriving aren’t interested in staying in Italy. They’re interested in making it to France where many have relatives and where many already speak the language.  Italy is banking on all 20,000 going elsewhere. The EU is of course not pleased with this situation. France has increased its border security to block undocumented crossings from Italy. Additionally, France has declared that they will honor the Italian visas and allow Tunisians into France, as long as they can prove that they can financially support themselves.

This is a decidedly more difficult case for most migrants to make. Those with family might be able to rely on their bank accounts as proof. The rest will probably be turned back. Where they will go from there is a mystery – cross illegally into France or live out their visas in Italy.  Either way, both the EU and Italy are going to have to actually address the issue of migrants and, more broadly, the issue of multi-culturalism.  Muslim migrants are not going away, and EU countries are already struggling to handle their differences (see here and here).

Europe must look beyond migrant law and immigrant rights and explore what it means to be Italian or French or German while being Muslim. Clearly, no country is interested in undocumented border crossers. Understood. But boats keep arriving and borders keep getting crossed.  Determined people will find their way whether Europe likes it or not. Better to have these difficult conversations now than when a misunderstood and marginalized minority starts rioting for rights. Oh wait. We’re already there.