As an HR company, we discuss and inform about issues of immigration and laws pertaining to it on a regular basis, but we must remember that immigration has never been uniquely American. As a global traveler, I have witnessed first hand the extreme effects that immigration has on European residents. When I was living in Spain, a woman was beaten on the metro for even being a legal immigrant for not appearing Spanish enough. Nationalism among residents intensified as riots and protests swarmed all over my neighborhood, and the law makers struggled with the details of the attack.

An article was just released last week by the Associated Press about the immigration issues occurring all over Europe. Last Wednesday, legislators in the EU parliament passed new laws to toughen up on expelling illegals from Europe. The article goes into explaining that because of a slowing global economy, the richer countries in the EU are facing pressures globally to become stricter on immigration which includes increasing detention periods for illegals. The majority of these immigrants are coming from parts of Africa and former Soviet countries. It has been estimated that in 2006 twenty four thousand sub-Saharan Africans tried to reach Spain, many of them dying a long the way. In the US there are currently 11 million illegals as opposed to Europe which has about 8 million in their 27 nations. Countries such as Italy, France, and Spain are all open to raising their laws to try and cope with the problem including increased detention times and denial of future re-entry.

It is important to know that other nations are dealing with this issue and I don’t believe that there are any easy answers for either nation’s destiny. Staying educated is just one sure way that we can become part of this movement. Please visit our site for up to date information on immigration compliance in the United States at and to read further on this article.