It is no surprise that the sudden influx of thousands of North African asylum-seekers into Italy has set off a polarizing immigration debate in Europe. After all, the arrival of fewer than 600 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers in Canada last year prompted such hand-wringing about lax immigration laws that the Harper government proposed a controversial bill to stiffen penalties for human smugglers and their cargo.

The issue is more complicated in Europe because of the 25-member Schengen zone, which operates as it were a single state with no borders.

So far, about 23,000 migrants, mainly Tunisians, but also some sub-Saharan Africans from Libya, have washed up on the shores of Lampedusa, an Italian island closer to Africa than Sicily. As the popular revolts across North Africa continue, so too will the flow of people trying to escape economic and political uncertainty.

The immigration crisis is a test of Europe’s cohesion and unity, and reveals the complexity of a borderless Europe.

Yet the way ahead is clear. Italy must acknowledge its legal obligations, and stop threatening to leave the European Union unless it can persuade its neighbours to take in what he has dubbed “a human tsunami”.

Europe’s asylum convention dictates that asylum-seekers’ applications must be heard in the first country of entry. Instead, Italy has granted the North African migrants temporary residence permits, which allows them to travel freely inside the borderless Schengen zone. France and Germany have vowed not to recognize these permits, and have called upon Italy to live up to its immigration responsibilities.

“Italy is trying to make these migrants someone else’s problem,” noted Randall Hansen, Canada research chair in immigration and governance at the University of Toronto.

With the rise of xenophobic parties, such as Italy’s Northern League, the issue is also a polarizing force in domestic politics, and a crucial test of Europe’s commitment to the liberal, welfare state.

Italy must give sanctuary to those fleeing real persecution, and return to their homelands those who are using the ongoing political upheaval for purely economic advancement. It should not be seeking to duck its humanitarian responsibilities.

This article is available online at globeandmail.com.