In his crusade against irregular immigration, The Italian government built a very expensive detention center in Albania to deport undocumented immigrants. Intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea, the practically empty vessel began a war against rescue NGOs and limited the recognition of the right to international protection, among other measures. Now, the government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is going a step further and proposing to block ships and expedite the summary deportations of migrants, even in countries other than their countries of origin.

At the turn of the 21st century, globalization—technological, commercial, and cultural—has made the world smaller, but we now have evidence that it has not made it freer or more open to diversity. In fact, the increase in physical mobility and digital connectivity has, in recent years, led to closed borders and a rise in defensive and aggressive nationalisms. In a short time, we have gone from what was heralded as the triumph of liberalism and democracy—the proclaimed end of history—to the current trade war, xenophobic rejection of immigration, and the return of wars and imperialism. This culminated in the second term of US President Donald Trump, who directly and abruptly shattered the balances and consensus of international law and diplomatic multilateralism that emerged after World War II. The result is that today the world is more insecure: the dialectic of confrontation has taken hold, whether directly military—Ukraine, Gaza—or commercial. It has also become ideological and cultural.

When we think of borders, we tend to think of increasingly fortified physical spaces with fences, razor wire, and the presence of police and military forces on both sides. While internal borders within the Schengen Area have been disappearing, external borders have become increasingly impenetrable and harmful. Between 2014 and 2022, the total length of fences on the EU's external borders increased from 315 km to 2,048 km. To give you an idea, the infamous "Trump wall" is 900 km long.

Today is a very important day. Yesterday we told you that the PSOE-Juntos agreement on immigration could be rushed, because they were already in the final stages, or that it would become stagnant, because it should have been closed by Christmas. Well, it has been rushed. The news was leaked last night, so this morning it could have been the headline of the front page. We are learning the content this morning.. This is very important content. We are facing a comprehensive delegation of powers from the State, which will place the Mossos at the borders, in ports and airports. It is similar to the moment when the Mossos began to patrol the roads and then became the reference police force in public safety, with the difference that at borders, ports and airports we will continue to see the National Police and Civil Guard, coordinated with the Mossos. Will there be enough Mossos to do the job? Yes, the agreement contemplates the incorporation of 1,800 more officers.

Vaccination will boost the tourist season. The ambassadors of the 27 European Union governments agreed on Wednesday to reopen external borders to fully vaccinated tourists or travellers. The measure is especially designed for third countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom, where vaccination is already advanced and has been carried out with drugs that have also been approved by the European Union. Therefore, these tourists will be allowed entry as long as they have received the full course of immunisation 14 days before the trip (ie, with two doses in most cases).

Two weeks ago he said the opposite, but he has finally backed down. Joe Biden announced early this morning that he will raise to 62,500 people the admission cap for refugees in the United States, after criticism rained down on him for having said he would keep the cap at 15,000, the historic minimum that Donald Trump had set. It was one of his campaign promises and, in the wake of the earthquake within and outside the ranks of the Democratic Party, and the accusation that he was betraying the migrants who helped him win the election, Biden has ended up taking back the pledge, even though he has watered it down.