NO MORE MR. NICE GUY (III): INEFFECTIVE ITALIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ROME 000438

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/17/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF IT
SUBJECT: NO MORE MR. NICE GUY (III): INEFFECTIVE ITALIAN
RESPONSE TO IMMIGRATION CHALLENGES

ROME 00000438 001.2 OF 004
...

SUBJECT: NO MORE MR. NICE GUY (III): INEFFECTIVE ITALIAN
RESPONSE TO IMMIGRATION CHALLENGES

ROME 00000438 001.2 OF 004


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Elizabeth L. Dibble for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d).


1. (SBU) This is the third in a series of three reporting
cables on immigration in Italy. This first reporting cable
described the current situation. The second reported on the
government's reaction to the immigration challenge. This
third cable examines the concerns raised by the government's
security-based approach and previews the outlook for the
future.


2. (C) In 1991, Italy had an immigrant population of 360,000
persons. By 2008, that population had grown to some four
million persons, with an estimated additional population of
at least 650,000 irregular immigrants. Recent EU expansion
has enabled large movements of Eastern European citizens,
including a doubling of the number of Romanian citizens
arriving in Italy in 2008. The Italian region of Lombardy,
which is home to one of Italy's largest cities, Milan,
reported a 13 percent increase in immigrants in 2008, half of
whom were irregular. The number of irregular migrants fleeing
Africa from Italy to Libya by boat jumped 75 percent in 2008.
These trends are likely to continue: the Italian Institute
of Statistics (ISTAT) forecasts an annual intake of
foreigners ranging from 150,000 to 240,000 over the next few
years. This pressure persists despite an aggressive
government effort to limit immigration, resulting in calls
for a shift to a comprehensive approach to integration that
addresses Italy's likely economic and security concerns in
the near future. It is unlikely this government will move to
such an approach in the near-term, although the U.S. mission
in Italy can take steps to encourage government action in
support of integration.

The View from the Critics
--------------


3. (C) Not new. Most observers agree that irregular
immigration poses a legitimate challenge to Italy's security
and society. But critics argue that the phenomenon has been
apparent for almost two decades and express exasperation at
the consistent lack of political leadership to address it.
Le Quyen Ngo Dinh, who has led Caritas' work with immigrants
in Italy and Europe for 17 years, says immigration is not a
new phenomenon, citing previous waves of irregular immigrants
from Albania in the early 1990s and of Kurds from Iraq in the
late 1990s. Jean-Leonard Touadi, who was born in the Congo,
is Italy's first black member of Parliament where he
represents the Democratic Party. He spoke to the embassy
recently and explained his view that Italian leaders --
whether center-right or center-left -- have failed to
recognize and respond to the demographic and social changes
that have occurred in Italian society as a result of
immigration over the past two decades, including
inter-marriage. For example, Caritas reports that in 2006
one in ten marriages in Italy involved an Italian and a
foreign partner, and the percentage of inter-marriage reached
25 percent in nine northern regions. Touadi further argued
that demographic changes within the traditionally Italian
population, particularly an aging population and declining
birth rate, mean it is in Italy's national interest to
welcome immigrants, the benefits of which include augmenting
Italy's tax base from those who obtain full-time permanent
employment. Recalling that for most of the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries Italy had been a country of emigration,
Touadi said Italians now need to adapt to this reversal of
position and define an Italian model for integration of
immigrants. Claudio Betti, a senior policy advisor for
Sant'Egidio, shares this view about the need for integration.
He admitted he likes to blame Berlusconi for all of Italy's
problems, but noted ""in fairness"" that previous center-left
governments had also failed to pursue a policy of integration.


4. (C) Inevitable. Most of our contacts, including those
from the Interior Ministry, believe that it will be difficult
to stop irregular immigration. They agree that Italy's
geographic location, stronger economy relative to source
countries, and lax border controls serve as a magnet.
Italy's Director of Border Police, Rodolfo Ronconi, said he
understands they are immigrating for work, for liberty, and
for security -- enduring aspirations. Ngo Dinh shared her
assessment that Maroni's tough rhetoric and call for extended
detention are designed to put ""psychological pressure"" on
would-be migrants, but predicted this approach would fail
because migrants don't believe that Italy has the capacity to
block their arrival. It is clear, she said, that ""the state
institutions are not in control."" During an embassy visit to
a center for identification and expulsion located near Rome's
airport, the center's director told us tongue-in-cheek that
the only way to stop illegal immigration would be to seal the
coast of
Africa or turn the boats away. He also expressed frustration
that he and his staff were unable to confirm the identities
of many of the detained migrants, because many governments
refused to cooperate. Because of limited detention capacity,
the end result is that despite being subject to expulsion
orders, the majority walk away from the centers. Given the
unwillingness of many source governments to assume
responsibility for their citizens, he was pessimistic that an
extended detention period would lead to meaningful
improvements.


5. (C) Irresponsible Rhetoric. Paolo Ciani, who works with
immigrants for Sant'Egidio, described the government's
anti-immigrant rhetoric as ""demagoguery"" and argued it was
dangerous and short-sighted. He noted that the government
uses the negative terms ""clandestino"" and ""illegal"" to
describe irregular immigrants, and argued that official
rhetoric about the crisis in Lampedusa consciously alludes to
Italian history, when invaders raided and colonized southern
Italy. Ciani, like many of our contacts, also blame the
media for sensational and biased coverage that maligns all
immigrants. Ngo Dinh, sharing her assessment of Italians as
generally hospitable and compassionate people, expressed
concern that anti-immigrant rhetoric will provoke racist
behavior, and observed it is hard for societies to ""return""
from extremism once unleashed. Moreover, she said, such
rhetoric will antagonize legal immigrants. Sant'Egido's
Betti shares the same concerns. He told us immigrants are
intimidated by the official and societal suspicion of
foreigners. He said an enforced deferential ""scusa mi""
behavioral pattern will backfire and speculated that Italy's
""second generation"" of immigrants will be the country's
number one problem in the future. He observed that most
""second generation"" immigrants feel little sense of belonging
to their parents' home country. If they are rejected by
Italian society, he argued, they will become psychologically
vulnerable.


6. (C) Muslim Alienation? Although Muslims in Italy can
worship freely, there is only one mosque in the entire
country that is legally recognized by the state, in part
because the government has not concluded a formal accord with
the Islamic community. This lack of formal recognition is a
top concern among Muslim immigrants. Many of our Muslim
contacts complain that there are suspicious delays in permits
for the construction of mosques and Islamic community centers
from municipal officials whom they believe deploy
bureaucratic regulations as a smokescreen for societal
prejudice. The government position, not without merit, is
that it is difficult to identify an authoritative
representative of the Muslim community. Khalid Chaouki, a
Muslim immigrant who started an Italian website for young
Muslims and who is attempting to organize Italy's Muslim
community, told us it is true that the community is divided
by nationality and political views (he himself is considered
too conservative by other Muslim figures),but says the
government is just looking for an excuse to avoid the issue.
Even well-integrated immigrants who speak Italian flawlessly
and graduate from the Italian university system tell us they
are frustrated by citizenship restrictions and a perceived
inability to compete with Italians for white collar jobs
because of alleged prejudicial hiring practices.


ROME 00000438 003.2 OF 004



7. (C) Need for Assistance. Drawing on her long experience
with immigration in Italy and Europe, Ngo Dinh told us she
believes the education and skill levels of irregular
immigrants are declining and expressed concern about their
ability to integrate and become productive members of
society. As an example, she said Somali immigrants are
squatting in the former Somali embassy in Rome, and she
described recent Afghan immigrants as unlettered and
illiterate about urban societies. These folks need active
assistance from Italy's state and society, she said. A
""laissez faire"" attitude is no longer acceptable. She also
expressed frustration with migrants who refused to
acknowledge their identities to avoid repatriation. ""Not
many NGOs would say this,"" she informed us, ""but the
government is right to insist on this matter."" Touadi echoed
a widespread view that Italy does not receive ""mid- and
high-level immigrants,"" and warned against the ghetto-ization
of insular migrant communities. He and other activists would
like to see the government encourage the migration of skilled
workers.


8. (C) Impact of Economic Crisis. Touadi also warned that
the global economic crisis could aggravate the problem of
illegal immigration. Because residence permits are linked to
employment, if immigrants lose their jobs they will lose
their legal status. Ngo Dinh reported that Caritas had
recently noted an increase in unemployed immigrants. Touadi
criticized Interior Minister Maroni for saying he doesn't
want to risk Italian employment by issuing more work permits.
The fact is, Touadi said, there is little competition
between Italians and immigrants, given the disparity in skill
sets. He added that Italian industry continues to see a role
for immigrants. Betti agreed that the weakest are often the
scapegoats in a worsening environment. Ronconi observed to
us that economic crises often led to tensions between
majority and minority populations, and said there were
already examples of Italian workers viewing foreign workers
as the enemy.


9. (C) A Different Vision. Given his personal experience,
Touadi has thought deeply about the problem, considering the
experience of the UK and France. He says Italy must not
follow the British model of multiculturalism, which he argues
has resulted in isolated and alienated immigrant communities.
He also rejects the French model of integration, which he
believes forces an immigrant to choose between his religious
and national identity. Touadi believes the way forward is
twofold: the government needs to make it easier for
immigrants to become legal, productive and integrated members
of Italian society. To that end, he says it is time for
Italy to revise its citizenship law, which dates to 1992 and
narrowly limits opportunities for naturalization. Second, he
argues, Italian society, given its own emigrant history and
its experience with Catholic and communist co-existence, has
the capacity to absorb and be enriched by non-Christians.
Citing the publication of Italian novels by foreigners, he
said: ""Imagine the language of Dante being used to tell
non-Italian stories.""

Comment
--------------


10. (C) Few of our contacts fault the government for
seeking improved security. But they object to the narrow
focus on the security aspects of immigration. Moreover, they
argue that by limiting opportunities for citizenship and
integration and by portraying immigrants as criminals and
potential terrorists, the government could well increase the
threat to Italy's security by alienating its immigrant
communities. There is little public discussion of the
implications of Italy's changing demography and its potential
impact on the economy, nor of the role that immigrants could
play in the labor market or the support they could contribute
to Italy's extensive pension system. Socially, ecumenical
views such as Touadi's tend to be muffled by the views of
leaders like Marcello Pera, a former president of the Italian
Senate, who argues that Italy must reinforce its Christian
identity.


11. (C) There are some ad hoc examples of successful
integration programs in northern Italy, where local
governments in immigrant heavy communities tend to take a
more pragmatic and progressive approach, regardless of
political stripe. For example, some towns have established a
""one stop shop"" for immigrants staffed by cultural mediators
who speak the languages of the main immigrant groups. These
offices explain immigration law, provide advice about employe
rights, and offer counsel on how to open a business. They
may also assist with medical appointments and provide
information on where to learn Italian. Some cities have made
government facilities available on weekends to immigrant
communities for language lessons: classes in basic Italian
for stay-at-home mothers who are otherwise isolated, and
classes for the school children in the language of their
parents. Some local and regional education authorities have
emphasized instruction in Italian-as-a-second-language for
teachers in for public schools. But these services are made
available in a patchwork fashion and vary greatly from city
to city.


12. (C) The issue of national identity is rightly an issue
for Italians, but there may be a role for the U.S. to promote
a constructive discussion of the benefits of immigration.
Although we judge the current government has little interest
in altering its approach to immigration, the U.S. mission
believes the United States serves as a positive alternative
model and we will continue to promote our experience in
discussions and activities with the public and interested
government contacts. We have an active public diplomacy
program designed to transfer communication and organizational
skills to young Muslims and other Italians interested in
Italy's ""second generation"" immigrants, including support for
Martino Pillitteri, who launched ""Yalla Italia"" (Let's Go
Italy),a Milan newsweekly that seeks to inform Italians
about Islamic and Arab cultures and to fill the information
gap in Italian society. We are also seeking to encourage
contacts between immigrants and Italian communities, and will
look for ways to encourage the dissemination of pragmatic
programs established by cities in the north. Contacts in the
Interior Ministry have reached out for U.S. expertise in
providing familiarization training for police officials
working in Muslim communities. There may also be
opportunities to draw on Italy's experience with immigration
in America to illustrate the benefits of integration.
Finally, we will seek opportunities with our government
contacts to promote a longer-term vision for immigration,
including the benefits of concluding an accord with the
Islamic community.

DIBBLE
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