The biggest complain that illegal immigrants at the Marsa detention centre have is about the lack of jobs in Malta.
Speaking to the BBC, Gettu an Eritrean said, "No-one here has got a proper job. Malta is a small country. There is no employment here. Maybe you get one day's work. After that you just must just sleep."
BBC also reported that a group of 21 Somalis each paid $600 to a smuggling gang in order to escape from Libya. During their rough journey, six of the illegal immigrants threw themselves into the sea. The Somalis had no food, no water and no one to help them during their journey.
BBC described the Mars open centre as “scarcely habitable”. Victor Fiorini who helps run the detention centre said, “We don't know where we would put these people. There's simply no more space."
Another comment reported was that about by Joseph Agius, a worker in the tourist trade. "What if these people get Maltese citizenship? The civil service will have to provide for them," Mr Agius was reported as saying, "These people will get payments which will eat up the social benefits that my children should one day get... from the taxes I have paid."
In a comment to BBC, patrol ship skipper Lt Russell Caruana of the Armed Forces of Malta too expressed his concern about the situation. "We surely need more help from Europe and from everyone. With the boats we have and the size of our island, Malta cannot cope alone," he said.
Nearly 1,700 emigrants from Africa have been rescued off Malta's shores so far this year. Another 1,800 came last year.
Malta is pressing fellow EU nations to help concretely by taking more illegal immigrant. Malta also wants to see joint sea patrols and to get funds to deal with the emigrants.
Source: BBC
Read more about this issue on MaltaMedia's special feature:
Lanċa Ġejja u Oħra Sejra: Malta and its migrations.
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