Originally Posted by natalia

Immigration is not a black and white issue.

I do not have much compassion for all immigrants. I once dated an Albanian; he had a free scholarship to
university, free meals and the Italian government would renew his permesso di sorgorno in return for him
taking and passing his university exams on time. With all of those benefits, he still complained that Italy
treated him like crap, would conducted himself with a rude sense of entitlement, and had no gratitude for the
opportunity the Italian government gave him. In the end he lost his scholarship and his permesso because he
did not take his exams, and instead of blaming himself he blamed the Italians all the while trying to
deceptively entice me to marry him so that he could stay in Italy.

Going back to my lack of compassion, that experience with that person changed my views on Albanian men. But
then I meet people from Ethiopia who sincerely come to Italy to make it a better place, which I cannot say
that all the immigrants here aim to do. And it is ashame that the ungrateful ones ruin it for those
who are escaping a torturous past or dictatorship government.

But in the end the Italian government needs to recognize the problem and end Libya's blackmailing of Africans
who seek refuge in Italy. If anyone is unfamiliar with this, they should watch "Come Un Uomo Sulla Terra."
It is a documentary that gives voices to those who suffered in order to reach the Italian shores,
and focuses on Libya's illegal trafficking of people.

Originally Posted by Villa

I have worked with illegal immigrants for years qui in California. They are often if not most of the time
exploted with all the worse dangerous, dirty jobs that legal residents would not do mai, usually have poor
living conditions, pay into social security without getting it's benefits and are used as scapegoats for
all the economic and general ills of society. In good times they are welcomed or at least allowed in.
In bad times they are rejected. They come out of dire need. When you have no work,
no food ect. etc. you yourself would not care about any so called immigration laws.

In 2007 while in Perugia I met a guy from Nigeria. He was in Italy on a journalistic scholarship
with room and board all paid for. He loved Italy and only had good things to say about Italy and Italians.

Two Albanias tried to rob me in Perugia. Generalmente Albanians have a bad reputation in
Italy. At the sametime I met several very nice Albanians while in Italy.

The Spanish speaking immigrants from South America(and Brazilians)that I met in Perugia seemed to all be hard working law abiding people.