With Salvini’s security law, lots of illegal immigrants will go around Europe and will try to enter black economy – as lots of journalists and demonstrators are stating.

But we must take a step backwards.

We have already talked about different immigration’s types, but we must focus on one important aspect: among immigrants coming to Europe, there are asylum seekers, that is, those people fleeing from wars which are threatening their lives. To force them to go home means to condemn them to death. In Italy there are few of them, that is about 80,000 in 2018.

The road to the approval of refugee status is long and complicated, as it implies controls in countries where it is difficult to get data. Few people see their applications approved – only 10% of them.

While these immigrants are waiting for the approval or the denial, they are – rightly – protected by national and international laws.

The “problem” is all the others, the so-called “economic migrants”. They leave their countries to look for a future for themselves, their families and their villages – one expatriate can often support dozens of families. This group, which is big and involves most illegal immigrants in Italy, involves also immigrants who saw their refugee applications denied.

Even if nobody knows their precise number, according to my experience I can state that there are some hundred thousand illegal immigrants living in Italy.

For these people, Italy – which is inefficient but wise – invented the “Humanitarian Permit”, that is a piece of paper for those immigrants judged as “good people” by police headquarters and prefectures to be accepted in Italy. Most of these people already had a job, so the resident permit usually came after the humanitarian one. Most of them were not refugees, but they had almost all the requirements. Most of them were good people. And then, the truth was that it was better also for Italian people for them to be regular.

SALVINI’S SECURITY LAW DELETES THIS HUMANITARIAN PERMIT, BUT IT DOESN’T FIND AN ALTERNATIVE TO IT.

And then?

There will be more illegal immigrants in Italy. People not paying taxes, not paying INPS – the National Social Welfare Institution – but being part of black economy, used and exploited, depending on the danger caused by illegal employment.

And do not think, as some fans of the Minister of Interior do, that these people will go back home.

For two simple reasons:

• The first: there are no agreements about immigrants’ repatriation with their countries. Twenty years ago, I was Vice Minister of Interior in charge for immigration and the countries Italy has now agreements with are the same as twenty years ago. After me, there have been ministers and ministers, but nothing has changed.

• The second: if you find immigrants, you find out which their real names are and which existent countries they come from, they are given a warrant for their repatriation. The illegal immigrant will just take it and throw it in the rubbish.

“Then take them to jail!!!” one of Salvini’s fans would write in a post.

However, this fan should know that our centres to select immigrants can host some thousands of them, while our jails are already full of criminals.

The result of this security law is that they become illegal. And that they are around.

And then?

Then we will do it in the Italian way. We will turn a blind eye to it. Until someone silently suggests a new form of humanitarian permit – called by another name – and maybe solve this problem. Maybe.

In the meantime, this security law seems to be a new improvement of Salvini’s election and marketing campaign. More illegal immigrants – created by his own law – will allow him to complain about the situation and to worsen his fans’ fears and prejudices.