JRS Malta

This morning we visited the JRS Malta offices. We got to listen to presentations from a director at the JRS, as well as the High Commissioner of RefCom and the Superintendent of the police force. It was an interesting morning because we got to hear from people on multiple sides of the migration issue that Malta is facing. The High Commissioner is the person who looks through every asylum claim in Malta and decides whether or not they are granted or denied protection from the government. Before becoming commissioner he was a Jesuit priest, and seemed to be very fair in his decisions. Over 75% of applicants in Malta are granted some sort of asylum. The commissioner also explained the process and possible outcomes that these refugees go through in trying to access asylum. The superintendent is in charge of keeping Malta's borders secure, and deporting anybody entering illegally. The migration issue that Malta faces makes his job very difficult, but he also seemed very fair, and believed that the system of addressing migrants in Malta needs to be changed. We were originally under the impression the all of the police were racist and treated the migrants badly, and while he admitted that there were some issues, the superintendent told us everybody from the immigration sector is very understanding of the issues the migrants face. The whole morning was very informative and helpful in understanding the political and legal aspects of the migration issue.

During the afternoon we visited the largest open center in Malta. An open center is a large governmental housing project that refugees are sent to after they are given asylum. We got a tour of the center and were able to meet with many of the residents. We were told that this particular center was one of the most optimal conditions for refugees, but it was still fairly dirty and rundown. The residents were all very friendly. There were lots of little kids around that we were able to play with, and three of the younger guys came with us on our tour to answer more questions we had. They all seemed pretty optimistic about their futures and were fairly happy with life in the center. They also said that, while some people are very ignorant, the racism in the community has dropped dramatically and they are finding it easier to integrate into the local society. Before today I was beginning to feel pretty upset about human rights and the issues these refugees face, but after meeting with the people at this center I have a much more positive outlook on the issue. Although Malta's (and EU's) system has a lot of flaws, there are still many success stories coming from the migrants.

In the evening we had a lecture by Katrine, the director of JRS, who basically just answered any questions we had and described the process of the refugees from getting on a boat to being granted asylum. We asked her what she would change about the system if she had power and she had a great suggestion of having a guide to help support each refugee at every step of the process to help explain their options and rights. One of the biggest issues is communication - the migrants do not understand what should do, and the resources available to them to begin their lives in Malta.

Tomorrow we are going to be visiting more organizations and also touring the capital city of Valetta, which I am very excited about.