More than 700 illegal immigrants - mainly Turkish Kurds and Iranians - have landed in southern Italy after their ship ran aground overnight in stormy weather. There were 85 women and children on board. Kurdish separatist groups have warned that thousands of Kurds are planning to travel to Europe to find work. Under Italian law illegal immigrants are given 15 days to leave the country before facing arrest. Miles Warde reports.

There are an estimated 18 million immigrants across Europe who are living or working legally.

But there are many millions more living beyond the law - exactly how many, no one is sure.

The lure for most illegals is work, although many are also trying to escape repressive regimes.

Political refugees are allowed to stay, but economic migrants are not. Convincing sceptical European immigration officers of the difference can be tough.

Few - if any - of the 750 migrants who landed in Italy will be granted permanent residence.

The Italians are at the moment trying to pass through parliament a new immigration law which will stiffen the penalties for illegal immigrants.

At the moment the best the authorities can do is serve these people with expulsion orders in the hope they will leave the country.

There is probably nothing they would like better - they are all heading for northern Europe, especially Germany, where they hope to find jobs and new homes.

Italy has been struggling for several years to stem the flood of refugees seeking haven in Europe.

It is thought the organisers of this particular boat were criminals specialising in trafficking between Italy and Turkey, where the vessel is registered.

Just before Christmas Italian and French police arrested 17 people accused of trafficking in Kurds and refugees of other nationalities via Turkey and Greece.

The authorities have been warned there could be up to 20,000 Kurds waiting at secret rendezvous points in Turkey, and possibly Greece, to land in Italy.

But other European countries face similar problems, including Britain, where tighter immigration controls have recently been introduced.

Mike O'Brien is the minister responsible for immigration controls.

As transport gets easier economic migrants are seeing the asylum system as a way to get round immigration controls.

These economic migrants who are abusing the asylum system are the worst enemies of the genuine refugee because they undermine public support for the asylum system.

Earlier this month the United Nations High Commission for Refugees published a report accusing the developed countries of the western world of closing their doors to people in need.

It is a charge European countries deny.

In Italy a reception unit has been set up and locals are said to have donated food.

One migrant is about to give birth, but otherwise the group's health is reported as good, despite their ordeal.

This is the second such boat to have arrived in the area in the last month two months.

The Italians are under pressure from their partners in the European Union to tighten up controls but in practical terms it is very difficult to patrol thousands of miles of coastline in southern Italy day and night, and even by bringing in - as they did last year - 700 extra troops, it is still not enough.

I think it is an almost impossible task to seal off the coast of southern Italy in a watertight way.
 

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