I make, you understand, no moral judgements in this matter.

That said, many of these migrants originate from countries such as The Gambia, which are poor and undeveloped. They are not, however, 'the wretched refuse of teeming shores', but quite often people from relatively well-off families who have borrowed against their assets to raise the sums demanded by smugglers to get a family member to Europe.

It is paradoxical. These people, many of them young folk, have planned carefully, faced difficult decisions, endured disappointments and terrible conditions in order to reach Europe. I am left wondering what their resilience, determination and willingness to take risks might have achieved if they had dedicated themselves to improving their own countries, rather than looking for an easier life in Europe. I am certain that by staying at home, they could, with work and determination, gain far more respectand status than they ever will as migrants in Europe!