France: Deal to Facilitate Deportations to Morocco, Situation in Calais Deteriorates
France and Morocco have signed an agreement facilitating the forced return of Moroccan unaccompanied children. Crackdown on migrants in Calais continues. On 7 December, the French Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, and his Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Ben...
UK: Support of Community Sponsorship, Calls to End Accommodation in Army Barracks and Release of Immigration Detainees, Rush to Deport Continues
£1m has been pledged to support community sponsorship schemes. More than 60 organisations call for an end to the housing of asylum seekers in old army barracks. Further, 40 organisations and lawyers call for the release of immigration detainees from prisons. The Home...
Spain: Supreme Court Supports Transfer from Greece to Spain Following a Request at the Embassy
On 15 October 2020, the Supreme Court of Spain confirmed that an Iraqi national who applied for a transfer from Greece to Spain in the Spanish embassy in Athens had to be transferred to Spain, where he can apply for international protection. In its assessment of the...
Bangladesh: International Concern over Relocation of Rohingya Refugees to Island in the Bay of Bengal
1,600 Rohingya refugees have been moved from camps in Cox’s Bazar to the Bhasan Char island in the Bay of Bengal, according to the foreign ministry the plan is to relocate 100,000 people. The relocation has been met with an outcry by human rights NGOs and the UN...
ECRE Working Paper: Civil Society Input to EU-AFRICA Cooperation on Migration: The Case of The Gambia
This working paper by Gibril Faal analyses cooperation between The Gambia and the EU related to asylum and migration. It provides an overview of political developments and migration patterns in The Gambia since 1994, including the Yahya Jammeh dictatorship and the...
Frontex: Critique and Scrutiny Continues
Amid the ongoing revelations of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency’s (Frontex) involvement in pushbacks and their cover up, MEPs from the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) are calling on Fabrice Leggeri, head of...
Greece: Migration Minister Praises Conditions in Moria 2.0, Pushbacks and Shipwrecks Continue
Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis praises the temporary facility in Kara Tepe despite harsh conditions. Evidence of pushbacks continue to mount and shipwreck off Lesvos cost two lives. Following a visit to the temporary facility in Kara Tepe also...
Two Assessments of the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism (SEMM) Published by the European Parliament and the European Commission Ahead of this Week’s Schengen Forum
The European Commission convened its first Schengen Forum on Monday, which brought together Members of the European Parliament and Home Affairs Ministers. Ahead of the meeting, the European Commission published its assessment of the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring...