First of all they might die, in the tragic way over one hundred illegal immigrants died during a shipwreck – as reported by the French journalist – in August 2005 on the coasts of Ecuador; they drowned there and were burned by the sun and by the salt. Or they might be arrested and sent back home, to the same poverty and hopelessness they experienced before, but now surrounded by loan-sharks, knowing they cannot repay their debts. And so in the end they are once again obliged to incur new debts and leave once again, this time well-aware of what awaits them.

What made you address the events experienced by Ecuadorians obliged to leave their homeland in search of fortune, and more specifically write a book about that shipwreck?

For thirty years now, with a few interruptions, I have been addressing current affairs in Latin America. A few months before this book was published I had written another one that had little to do with Latin America. Hence I experienced a sort of frustration, and when I heard about this shipwreck close to Ecuador I instantly thought it would be a good subject for a book.

What were your intentions in writing this story? Did you wish to concentrate on one specific event, or did you instead wish to report on the conditions of the illegal immigrants who land on our coasts coming from many different countries?

I am a journalist, not an ideologue. My vocation is to describe the world that surrounds us. So it was not my intention to portray the nightmare experienced by illegal immigrants. It was rather like those doctors who when faced with a serious disease speak of an “interesting case”. When I heard about the story of this shipwreck I instantly thought it would make a good story. What affected me in particular was the fact that some of them survived and had to return to where they started, and were able to tell the story of these events. So I set off in search of them.

In your opinion, what people and what events are responsible for the suffering experienced by illegal immigrants? In your book you describe the figure of the “coyotes” (the people smugglers). Why is it so hard to find and punish these men who commit such horrific crimes?

In Ecuador those mainly responsible for the martyrdom experienced by illegal immigrants are the country’s political and economic leaders. Corruption and incompetence as well as a lack of interest in those who are alienated, are all factors that encourage people to leave, whatever the conditions may be. The mafia-like networks take over only at a later stage, often thanks to support from someone in a position of power.

Let us address the controversial issue of immigration policies; how do you think should these policies should be implemented so as to achieve a balance between the need to restrict the number of people entering a country and the moral obligation to welcome them?

My attitude is extremely radical. I believe that one should have open borders allowing a constant flow of foreigners to enter. Closing the borders only encourages the appearance of illegal networks and mafia-like organisations. This simply reflects our fear of those who are different, fear imposed by the more conservative elements. Of course this is a theoretical position that does not take into account the problems that would arise due to the arrival of large numbers of immigrants. However, we have experienced, for example when countries like Romania became members of the EU, that all that was feared did not take place. There was no invasion of immigrants from those countries. And yet, many had said it would happen.

In many countries, such as Italy, fear of non EU citizens, or the Roma, accused of a large variety of crimes, has helped the right win votes. Left wing parties however are also weak and controversial on this subject. Why is that?

I have, of course, heard about the Roma issue in Italy. The policies implemented in addressing this problem resulted in many comments in Europe. What has happened is that the French left-wing parties, and the same applies to other countries, have been incapable of leading an ideological battle against the Right and surrendered when faced with very conservative immigration policies. It is well-known that when a country experiences economic problems, non-integrated foreigners are often the most convenient scapegoats.

One last question about the media. In your book you describe the tragic contrast between the general indifference there is as far as illegal trafficking of immigrants is concerned and the morbid attention paid by the media to the victims’ faces and stories. To what extent are the media responsible for the events experienced by illegal immigrants?

I don’t believe one can accuse the media of being responsible for the trafficking of human beings. As far as I know, there have been numerous journalistic, radio and TV reportages about these traffickers. This applies to problems between the United States and Latin America as well, of course, to Europe’s experiences with Africa or Asia.

Interview by Elisabetta Ambrosi

Translation by Francesca Simmons