Illegal immigrants are worldwide issue

We are not alone on the issue of illegal immigration.An interesting report came out of the Canary Islands this morning concerning boatloads of destitute Africans trying to reach this Spanish resort island. It seems that the African immigrants want to flee their home countries and so they risk their lives to make the four or five-day journey in makeshift boats. Many fail to make their destination.

The problem - just as in this country - is that the Canary Island officials don't know what to do with this influx of illegals. The new arrivals come with limited job skills, language issues and dire poverty. They look to their new "home" to help them to a better life.

Like America, the Spanish government is being asked to take similar measures. The Spanish are being asked to beef up border police, install more radar and cooperate with the African government to halt the immigrants before they try to make the journey.

"Borders cannot really be protected effectively unless you have a very much larger police force to do it and a very tough policy," one officials said. Sound familiar?

One police official said there were tens of thousands of Africans anxious to make the journey to the Canary Islands or other parts of Europe. They are forced to make the journey because of the failures of the African governments. And despite billions of dollars in foreign aid flowing into Africa, most of these governments will never be able to provide for their own people.

The sticky question of illegal immigration is now global in nature. Those unable to provide for themselves will often look to neighboring countries where they hope for better lives. But if they simply transport their same social issues and poverty to the new country, they have accomplished little. It will be their country of destination that suffers.

Decades of effort and trillions of dollars in aid have actually done little to lift third world countries into the 21st century. And more dollars won't solve the issues either.

In our case, until the Mexican government addresses the poverty in their own country, their problems will remain our problems. Apparently the same can be said for the Spanish and African countries.