In this text, which serves as an introduction to the dossier "The challenge of irregular immigration", the author provides a moral reflection on the subject of the dossier, while also touching on some questions of economics and law. For many readers, the underlying issues that should be dealt with in a dossier on irregular immigration are those raised by this phenomenon concerning its demographic and economic impact, its effect on political and cultural values, and its relationship with the respect for the law. In the dossier, the authors propose other perspectives to help the reader appreciate the complexity of the phenomenon and avoid presenting the theme in these "classical" terms that today dominate the discourse on the issue of irregular immigration. The author of the introduction, in addition to introducing these alternative perspectives, reflects on the irregular status of many of today's migrants to address the concerns of the reader who, nevertheless, insists on having a reflection regarding the legal and moral dimensions of the phenomenon. Some aspects of this status are morally blameworthy, but we must be careful not to conclude too quickly that the migratory process of poor and culturally different people, to whom many rich countries make it almost impossible to obtain an entry visa, is in itself morally bad, or that the people themselves, due to the fact of having to migrate without the necessary documents, are bad people. © 2018 Gregorian University Press. All rights reserved.

Irregular migration Legality and ethics Economic justice Migration and crime

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