Immigration

In the mid-nineties there were just over 500 thousand regular immigrants in Italy; about 10 years ago there were almost a million and a half. Since then rates have been growing more rapidly and the number of regular immigrants is now approximately 4 million, plus, presumably, one million irregulars. Is Italian society sufficiently informed and equipped to cope with the processes of change set in motion (and due to continue on a global scale) in this phase of international migration?

Our delay in addressing these questions has had very serious consequences : 1) the risk of immigration being generally perceived as a “crime issue”, 2) the introduction of repressive laws that can lead to reversals in rights and guarantees, 3) the rejection, or undervaluation, of the presence of foreigners as a positive resource and development factor. Two aspects of this are