Channel: Macron Calls on UK to Offer Safe Routes, Home Office Prioritises Crackdown on “Illegal Migration” and Mothballs Afghan Resettlement, Squatters Protest French Policies
France says it wants to strike a deal with the UK on Channel crossings that would combine returns and resettlement. UK officials continue to focus on combatting “illegal migration” via deterrence and criminalisation of people on the move. After promising to resettle...
Atlantic Route and Spain: Shift to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Children at Risk on Islands, Resumption of Deportation Flights to Morocco, Venezuelans Seek Refuge in Spain
After more than 4,100 people arrived to the Canaries in January, rescue activity has continued with new trends in departures. The situation for unaccompanied minors on the Islands remains at crisis point. Deportation flights from the Spanish archipelago to Morocco at...
Frontex: EU Border Control in Africa Set to Expand, Commission Floats Political Oversight, Switzerland to Vote on Frontex Funding, Belgium Plans Scrutiny Hearing
The EU is considering establishing status agreements with African countries to enable Frontex (the EU border and coast guard agency) to support border management and deploy liaison officers. Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has floated the idea of a...
Editorial: French Presidency Plans: New Momentum or Hot Air?
There are reports of new momentum after a meeting of the JHA Council, preceded by a speech from President Macron. Even Commissioner Johansson seemed pleased, understandable after two years of wrangling recalcitrant Member States. The French ideas are based on a...
UK: January Channel Crossings Up Five-Fold, “Illegal Entry” Deemed Misleading, Borders Bill Endangers LGBTI+ Applicants and Blocks Safe Passage, Phone Seizures Challenged
A five-fold increase of small boat crossings of the channel in January 2022 compared to the same period of 2021 is according to experts is mainly the result of push factors. The Home Office has been rebuked by the UK appeal court for erroneously describing asylum...
Greece: People on the Move Caught in Deadly Greek-Turkish Stand-off, Government Attempts to Hide Lack of Access to Asylum Procedures, EU-Funded “Prison Structures” Face Local Opposition
While Greece and Turkey continue their stand-off in the Evros region the death toll of people on the move in the region continues to mount, as does evidence of systematic violent pushbacks. The Greek government has misused statistics in an attempt to cover up the lack...
Atlantic Route and Spain: Political Infighting Leaves Lanzarote Arrivals in Overcrowded Facility, Boat Drivers Sentenced to Jail, Record Rescues in the Last Weeks of January
A dispute between local and national administrations has prevented the opening of a two million euro reception facility in Lanzarote leaving arrivals in an overcrowded facility. Two alleged smugglers have been sentenced for nine deaths that occurred on an ill-fated...
EU Eastern Borders: Poland Insists on Hard-Line EU Response, Border Wall Endangers Environment and People Alike, Reception Conditions Under Fire, Warm Welcome for Ukrainians Lays Bare Double Standards
Poland has blocked a compromise proposal on EU legal measures to assist Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, insisting on the complete suspension of asylum. Construction has begun on a 353 million-euro Polish border wall that has been condemned by environmentalists and human...