By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

ROME, Italy – With all of the turmoil and fighting currently widespread throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa, many citizens have flocked from countries like Libya, Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, and elsewhere. In an effort to help these refugees, Italy has opened up its borders for refugees to enter into Europe, particularly in Southern Italy around Sicily.

Italy’s new immigrant policy, dubbed “Mare Nostrum”, or “Our Sea”, came last year after Pope Francis flew to the scene of a sunken migrant vessel off the coast that went down unaided. Pope Francis asked, “Who has wept for the people who were on the boat?” Italy took this as inspiration to help refugees who make it across the Mediterranean Sea. Now, Italy takes in refugees, offers them medical treatment, food, water, and temporary shelter. Further, Italy has decriminalized migrants, and also adopted a de facto “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy where refugees may stay a few nights and then move onwards to other European nations, such as Germany and Sweden, that often grant asylum.

While this initially seems great, and for many it is a wonderful thing, there also comes skepticism. Italy is taking in nearly 1,000 migrants per day, and has already taken in 119,939 migrants since January, far more than the 42,000 from all of 2013. The problem lies in that the nearly 120,000 migrants have entered into Europe with relative ease as far as security checks goes, and now may be moving fairly undetected and unaccounted for throughout Europe. With a particular eye on some of the nations where the refugees are coming from, countries where ISIS is growing and expanding at a scary rate, this creates a serious security concern for Europe.

One of the countries with many emigrants to Italy is Libya, a nation that France calls a ‘terrorist hub’. And while it may be unclear exactly if or how many dangerous migrants may have snuck through already, one thing is clear: there has already been at least six serious attacks planned against member states of the European Union. British Prime Minister David Cameron warned the British people, “be in no doubt about the threat that so-called Islamic State poses to us.” Cameron went on to cite the deadly attack in a Brussels Jewish museum as a successful ISIS attack on European soil.

Even without new ISIS members coming into Europe, there already exists a serious problem throughout Europe as Europeans continue to be recruited into ISIS. Two Austrian girls of 15 and 16 years in age, Samra Kesinovic and Sabina Selimovic, have recently been recruited by ISIS and have already led at least two additional girls, ages 16 and 14, to try and follow to Syria to convert.

It is quite clear that the ISIS problem in Europe is a present problem and very likely to get much worse as ISIS’s presence and influence continues to spread. ISIS is already in Europe and influence is spreading throughout Europe in the form of recruiting, and increasing via immigration through open borders like Italy. While Italy is helping many who are in dire need of help, it must be careful to prevent the same people from coming over who caused the massive flocks to begin with.

For more information, please see:

New York Post – Gun-wielding teen girls from Europe join ISIS – 10 September 2014

RT – France calls for new Libya intervention, calls it ‘terrorist hub’ on Europe’s doorstep – 10 September 2014

The Washington Post – Amid flood of refugees to Europe, Italy opens a back door – 9 September 2014

Breitbart – Prime Minister: Six ISIS Attempted Attempts Against European Nations Already – 9 September 2014