International blitz puts a dent in illegal wildlife and timber trade

When does immigration discussion morph into fear of the ‘‘other’’?

Interpol says a three-week operation to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife and timber in 43 countries has led to the seizure of US$5.1 million (NZ$7.2m) worth of illicit products, from wild cats to seahorses, and the jailing of almost 90 people.

The operation, code-named Thunderbird, was carried out jointly by police, customs and border agencies, along with environment, wildlife and forestry officials ahead of World Wildlife Day.

‘‘Simply put,’’ said Interpol Secretary-General Jurgen Stock, ‘‘criminals are helping themselves to the environment’s precious resources without a care for the cost to our planet.’’

The operation had already resulted in 370 investigations which had led to 89 people being jailed for terms of up to seven years, Interpol said.

It said the seizures included 60 tonnes of wood and timber, 4770 birds, 1240 reptiles, 100 wild cats, 2.75 tonnes of pangolin scales, 2.5 tonnes of raw and processed ivory, 25 tonnes of various animal parts, and 37,130 other products including medicines, ornaments and carvings.

US authorities seized 180 dead seahorses concealed in snack boxes. I stood with old primary school friends two weeks ago today under the twisted boughs of pohutukawa in Auckland’s One Tree Hill Domain. ‘‘Nothing changes, Dan,’’ they said to me, as their young children crisscrossed the undulating grass and collected acorns for my delightedly barefoot toddler.

I laughed. The children were evidence enough of the passage of time. Having arrived in Auckland a day earlier, already ghosts of a parallel life haunted me. An old flat in Mt Eden. A former job in Newmarket. On the Coromandel days later, memories of a 21st in Whitianga. In Papamoa this week, a girl in a shop spoke of a ballet teacher I once knew. She must be 80 by now.

I leave tonight for New York City. And my trip home has served as a reminder that although it might feel like nothing changes, almost everything does. The sensation is especially keen as an expat and an immigrant: one person, with a foot in each country.

Some important conversations are happening right now, both here and in the US, over immigration. The question is at what point does reasonable and necessary talk about immigration policy transform into the cultivation of fear and loathing of the ‘‘other’’?

In the US, the new president came to power on tough talk of border walls, mass deportations and shutting down the refugee programme. Most cynical has been his use of the victims of crimes committed by undocumented aliens as a reason to demonise not only illegal immigrants but immigrants more generally.

His administration this week announced it would publish a weekly list of all crimes committed by ‘‘aliens’’. This would, by definition, include permanent residents and visa holders – students, professionals and temporary workers who came to America the ‘‘right’’ way. The slippery slope from railing against illegal immigration to railing against legal immigration has begun in