Ooh, look, someone in Brussels plugged the alarm clock back in

GERTZ:The European Union has been quietly building detention camps for illegal immigrants in North Africa.

The detention camps were meant to stop the flood of illegal migrants from North Africa to Western Europe. So far, detention centers have been established in Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

Italy and Spain have been the biggest sponsors of the North African detention centers. Italy plans to build at least one detention camp and intends to fund another two such facilities.

The detention centers were ordered after EU states concluded that they were unable to block the flow of Africans through the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean to southern Europe. Until recently, some North African countries, particularly Libya, refused to cooperate with EU countries.

I have asked this before, WHY DOES ITALY HAVE A NAVY?

The USS America, and Italian Carrier Garibaldi (click for larger image)

Today, Libya has taken a 180 degree turn and was destroying immigrant shantytowns and deporting illegal en masse.

The use of detention centers has aroused anger in North Africa. In Algeria, dozens of families have filed suit against the Spanish and Moroccan embassies. The families said Spain has detained their children and kept them incommunicado.

The families said at least 40 Algerians who left their country for Spain from September 2006 through January 2007 were missing. They said they were urging Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to intervene.

Despite increased efforts, Africans continue to flood Europe. Officials said 17,000 illegal immigrants arrived in Spain in illegal boats during the first 11 months of 2007, most of whom landing on the Canary Islands. A total of 37,647 illegal migrants arrived in Spain in the same period of 2006.