Conversation with the Greek Consul General Part II: Immigration and Refugees

As I stated in my previous post, this summer, I had an internship at the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles. If you are curious, I have no ties to Greece (and I don't speak Greek). I got this internship because many countries require their interns to be over 18 or in college already, but, frankly, Greece needs the help. A consulate performs many different functions, many of which are just appointments and office work. For example, some of our most popular services are visas, power of attorney, and Greek citizenship. I, as an intern, answer phones and emails and
help people when they come into the office. However, when I have a free moment, the Consul General himself is kind enough to invite me into his office to discuss whatever I would like.

Hon. Consul General Gregory Karahalios

A Consul General is a professional diplomat who has duties similar to an Ambassador, but outside of a country's capital. In my time here at the Consulate, I am still not entirely sure what the exact job description of a Consul General is, but it includes attending diplomatic events, (such as the anniversary of Peruvian independence) reporting back to the Greek government on political activity (such as the German President's visit to California), and overseeing office proceedings.

One topic at the forefront of the news cycle during my internship was the issue of refugees and immigration. The consul took over an hour and explained his perspective to the other intern and me. I took notes throughout, and I have understood his explanation to be as follows. I am attempting to be as impartial as possible, and I have made some notes throughout as to not sweep some of these comments under
the rug, but I have reworded and refocused some of the Consul's comments as to highlight the point he was making instead of the politically incorrect anecdote through which he made it.

The first thing to consider is that the US and the EU face very different immigration issues. People entering the US do so mainly for economic reasons, while those entering the EU may be doing so for economic, political, or safety issues. The US must deal with immigration while the EU deals largely with refugees. This is an important distinction to make in order to accurately make an ethical decision either situation.

Map of the EU highlighting the geographical importance of Libya and Syria

In the EU, the influx of refugees is the result of more wars. Once Syria and Libya collapsed, it became much easier to enter the EU. In the beginning, European Union members had sympathy for the refugees, but now, small countries can't handle the influx. Each refugee is an economic drain, and while for a while the EU distributed the load among itself, countries like Italy have taken in a disproportionate amount of people.

In addition to the economic burden, social issues arise. Refugees arrive with their own culture, language, and religion, and assimilation is extremely difficult. (I would like to note here that his exact words were that Muslims can't assimilate into European societies. He also mentioned that terrorism has become an issue because countries let in refugees.)

When the refugee crisis first started, EU countries treated it as a humanitarian issue, but now it has become political and economic. Some countries propose closing their borders, but that would essentially be like having a border between California and Arizona. Europe is already densely populated, and unlimited numbers of people can't be absorbed. As this becomes a political issue, people are pushed to vote for the far right. (He also claimed that soon we will without a doubt have a new Hitler. I'd also like to note that at this point he said that Europeans are tolerant of refugees but the Muslim refugees are not tolerant of Europeans.)

In order to solve this problem, the movement must be stopped at its origin. There is nothing that can be done at borders or by European countries internally that will benefit both the country and the refugees. Instead, the EU and the US have to help countries improve their economies and stabilize war-torn regions so that nobody will need to flee in the first place. When countries (the US specifically) intervene in foreign affairs, they must understand the consequences of conflict. Much of the ongoing conflict can be at least partially attributed to the US.

The key to it all is education. Many people who turn to radicalism do so because they are uneducated and believe that their life is so bad that they have nothing to lose. There will never be an adequate defense for terrorism or barrier for immigration as long and something is driving those people from their home countries.

It's no secret that I have very liberal political views, so many of the things he said made me very frustrated. Like I said, I took out a lot of the specific remarks he made in order to focus on his actual points, which was very difficult at the moment. For the whole time I was in his office, I was thinking of all the ways I disagreed with him, and I was beyond surprised when I agreed with the conclusion he came to. For goodness sake, he had an ICE mug sitting on his desk, so it seemed to be out of left field that he suggested peace and education.

I learned a lot during this conversation about immigration and refugees, but as always when I talk to someone of a political background, I learned more about discourse itself than the topic. More often than not, we have a common goal, whether it's economic prosperity, peace (eventually), personal preservation, or human rights. In the case of immigration and refugees, all of these play a role. Our differences lie in which we prioritize. But, even though the Consul might not want refugees to come to Italy because they're hostile Muslims and I don't want refugees to come to Italy because they have had to abandon their whole lives because of war, we both believe that education and avoiding conflict can solve this problem. I've learned that I can't let differing opinions blind me to the fact that we have a common goal and a common solution.

As the summer comes to an end, I am very grateful to the Consul for taking the time to talk to me frequently and to everyone at the consulate for welcoming me and helping me throughout my time there.