Latest news with #irregularmigrants
Reuters
5 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
East African migrants drive surge of arrivals in Spain's Balearic islands
PALMA/BARCELONA, Spain, Aug 13 (Reuters) - More than 30 boats carrying about 600 irregular migrants have arrived in Spain's Balearic islands since Monday, officials said, as a new migratory route from North Africa gains traction after a crackdown by authorities in other jumping off points. Overall, irregular migration to Spain has fallen this year, but it has risen by 170% in the Balearics in the first six months to around 3,000 people, official data shows. The number of boats, mostly departing from Algeria, more than doubled. A significant number of the arrivals are from East Africa. Konestory, a 20-year-old South Sudanese migrant, told Reuters on Tuesday in the Mallorcan capital of Palma that he had fled from growing instability in the region. He paid $2,000 to board a boat from Algeria, which took 46 hours to reach the islands. They faced "a lot of waves", ran out of food and water, and got lost, he said. "Now I'm happy. I'm looking at ways to talk to my mom to give her the information that I reached here," he said. Authorities in the Balearic islands off eastern Spain - Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera - say they feel abandoned. They fear they could become a new migrant gateway, like the Canary Islands, which received 47,000 from West Africa at the peak of that route's popularity in 2024. Arrivals in the Canaries fell by 46% in January-July of this year, largely thanks to tightened controls by Mauritania. "Where is the government of (Pedro) Sanchez?" Balearic regional leader Marga Prohens posted on X on Wednesday, referring to Spain's prime minister. She called for increased law enforcement resources and cooperation with Algeria. The central government said last month it would improve the Balearics' capacity to absorb arrivals. Local media in Mallorca have reported cases of newly arrived migrants being left by authorities for several hours in parks due to an absence of shelters before they board ferries to the mainland.
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greece says migrant numbers down since asylum pause
The number of irregular migrants reaching the Greek island of Crete has plummeted since the government announced a three-month suspension of asylum hearings condemned by rights groups, the migration minister said Thursday. An unprecedented surge in arrivals from Libya to the Mediterranean island of Crete this summer caught Greece off guard as the historically more common migration route crosses the Aegean Sea bordering Turkey. More than 7,000 migrants have landed on Crete and its tiny neighbour Gavdos since the start of the year, compared with 4,935 in 2024. The arrivals sparked local anger, including from the key tourism sector, heaping pressure on the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prompting the asylum suspension. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris -- a former member of the far-right party Laos who has called the migrant influx an "invasion" -- told public broadcaster ERT that Crete had received 2,642 migrants in the first week of July. Arrivals had fallen to "below 900" since July 9, when the government announced the suspension of asylum hearings, he said. "The clear message that the country will no longer give asylum for the next three months, and that immigrants will be detained, appears to have had an effect," Plevris added. Humanitarian and migrant groups rebuked Greece for breaking international law after the asylum freeze announcement, while the UN refugee agency expressed "serious concern". Mitsotakis, whose family hails from Crete, has implemented stricter immigration policies since taking office in 2019. His government followed the asylum suspension with proposed legislation that would detain migrants for up to two years for illegal entry -- and up to five years if subsequently caught staying in Greece illegally. Plevris said he hoped the measures would become law "by early September". Greece's proximity to North Africa and the Middle East has long placed the country at the heart of perilous migration routes to Europe for people escaping conflict, persecution and poverty. Rights groups have accused Greek authorities of illegal pushbacks of migrants at the border, which the government denies. hec-imm/jj
Khaleej Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Migrant crisis casts shadow on Starmer-Macron summit
Britain and France are friends again following the rancour of Brexit, but the record number of irregular migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats remains a major point of friction. The issue will feature during a state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron starting Tuesday and new measures to curb the dangerous journeys are expected to be announced on Thursday following talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. More than 21,000 migrants have crossed from northern France to southeast England in rudimentary vessels this year, providing a massive headache for Starmer as the far-right soars in popularity. Images of overloaded vessels leaving French beaches with law enforcement officers appearing to just watch on exasperate UK politicians and the unforgiving tabloid press. "We pay for French cops' buggy, 4x4s and drones, but migrants still sailing," complained The Sun newspaper on Wednesday, in a reference to the so-called Sandhurst Treaty. The 2018 agreement, that runs until 2027, sees Britain finance actions taken in France to stop the migrants. Starmer, who led his Labour party to a sweeping victory in an election last year following 14 years of Conservative rule, has vowed to "take back control" of Britain's borders. - One in, one out - But in the first six months of 2025, there was a 48 percent increase in the number of people arriving on small boats compared to last year, with the government blaming extended dry weather. The annual record of 45,774 reached in 2022 could be broken this year, which would deal a massive blow to Starmer as Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's Reform UK party leads national polls. A new border control law going through Britain's parliament would give law enforcement counter-terror style powers to combat people-smuggling gangs. The UK has also signed agreements with countries on migrant transit routes, including Iraq, Serbia, and Germany. But Starmer needs strengthened cooperation with France, and key announcements were expected following their talks. Under pressure from London, Paris is considering tweaking its laws to allow police to intercept migrant boats up to 300 metres from France's shoreline. Currently, French law enforcement only intervene at sea to rescue passengers at risk of drowning. The two governments are also working on a migrant exchange programme. A pilot project would see Britain capable of returning to France someone who has crossed the Channel by boat, according to several media sources. France in exchange could deport an equivalent number of people to Britian, provided they have the right to live there, such as through family reunification. Paris wants to expand the agreement to the European Union so that readmissions can be shared among several countries. According to Britain's interior ministry, migrants who crossed the Channel between March 2024 and March 2025 were mainly Afghans, Syrians, Eritreans, Iranians, and Sudanese. French officials have claimed that Britain attracts migrants because the lack of a national identity card makes it easier to work illegally. Starmer's government has cracked down on illegal work -- arrests increased by 51 percent from July 2024 to the end of May, compared to the previous year, it says. - Seeking 'safety' - But Peter Walsh, a researcher at Oxford University's Migration Observatory, doubts that it is easier to work illegally in Britain than in France. "You have to demonstrate that you have the right to work. If an employer doesn't carry out those checks, then they can face serious sanctions, fines and imprisonment. That's the same in France and the UK," he told AFP. Walsh believes the English language and presence of family members in Britain are key attractions, as well as Britain's departure from the European Union. "If you've claimed asylum in the EU and been refused, you can actually come to the UK and have another shot because we will not know that you've actually been refused in the EU," he said. Rishan Tsegay, 26, originally from Eritrea, arrived in England in 2015 hidden in the back of a lorry. She fled from Sudan through Libya, Italy and France. Last year, she became a British citizen and now works as a nurse. Tsegay says there is a "hostile environment" towards irregular migrants in Britain, saying they were often presented as "criminals" rather than people "contributing to society". She wants Starmer and Macron to focus on improving safe routes for migrants fleeing war-torn countries as a way to stop them risking the Channel crossings. "These people come here to seek safety," Tsegay insisted.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Migrants cast shadow on Starmer-Macron summit
Britain and France are friends again following the rancour of Brexit, but the record number of irregular migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats remains a major point of friction. The issue will feature during a state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron starting Tuesday and new measures to curb the dangerous journeys are expected to be announced on Thursday following talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. More than 21,000 migrants have crossed from northern France to southeast England in rudimentary vessels this year, providing a massive headache for Starmer as the far-right soars in popularity. Images of overloaded vessels leaving French beaches with law enforcement officers appearing to just watch on exasperate UK politicians and the unforgiving tabloid press. "We pay for French cops' buggy, 4x4s and drones, but migrants still sailing," complained The Sun newspaper on Wednesday, in a reference to the so-called Sandhurst Treaty. The 2018 agreement, that runs until 2027, sees Britain finance actions taken in France to stop the migrants. Starmer, who led his Labour party to a sweeping victory in an election last year following 14 years of Conservative rule, has vowed to "take back control" of Britain's borders. - One in, one out - But in the first six months of 2025, there was a 48 percent increase in the number of people arriving on small boats compared to last year, with the government blaming extended dry weather. The annual record of 45,774 reached in 2022 could be broken this year, which would deal a massive blow to Starmer as Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's Reform UK party leads national polls. A new border control law going through Britain's parliament would give law enforcement counter-terror style powers to combat people-smuggling gangs. The UK has also signed agreements with countries on migrant transit routes, including Iraq, Serbia, and Germany. But Starmer needs strengthened cooperation with France, and key announcements were expected following their talks. Under pressure from London, Paris is considering tweaking its laws to allow police to intercept migrant boats up to 300 metres from France's shoreline. Currently, French law enforcement only intervene at sea to rescue passengers at risk of drowning. The two governments are also working on a migrant exchange programme. A pilot project would see Britain capable of returning to France someone who has crossed the Channel by boat, according to several media sources. France in exchange could deport an equivalent number of people to Britian, provided they have the right to live there, such as through family reunification. Paris wants to expand the agreement to the European Union so that readmissions can be shared among several countries. According to Britain's interior ministry, migrants who crossed the Channel between March 2024 and March 2025 were mainly Afghans, Syrians, Eritreans, Iranians, and Sudanese. French officials have claimed that Britain attracts migrants because the lack of a national identity card makes it easier to work illegally. Starmer's government has cracked down on illegal work -- arrests increased by 51 percent from July 2024 to the end of May, compared to the previous year, it says. - Seeking 'safety' - But Peter Walsh, a researcher at Oxford University's Migration Observatory, doubts that it is easier to work illegally in Britain than in France. "You have to demonstrate that you have the right to work. If an employer doesn't carry out those checks, then they can face serious sanctions, fines and imprisonment. That's the same in France and the UK," he told AFP. Walsh believes the English language and presence of family members in Britain are key attractions, as well as Britain's departure from the European Union. "If you've claimed asylum in the EU and been refused, you can actually come to the UK and have another shot because we will not know that you've actually been refused in the EU," he said. Rishan Tsegay, 26, originally from Eritrea, arrived in England in 2015 hidden in the back of a lorry. She fled from Sudan through Libya, Italy and France. Last year, she became a British citizen and now works as a nurse. Tsegay says there is a "hostile environment" towards irregular migrants in Britain, saying they were often presented as "criminals" rather than people "contributing to society". She wants Starmer and Macron to focus on improving safe routes for migrants fleeing war-torn countries as a way to stop them risking the Channel crossings. "These people come here to seek safety," Tsegay insisted. ctx-pdh/har/tw/tc
Al Arabiya
29-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Greece to toughen migration laws: Minister
Greece plans to eliminate a provision allowing irregular migrants to apply for residency after seven years in the country, the migration minister announced Thursday, saying the rule had been abused. The police last year arrested 74,000 irregular migrants, but could only expel 2,500, Makis Voridis told broadcaster Skai, adding that detainees often claim a false country of origin to avoid deportation, stalling the process for months. 'The longer you were (in the country) illegally, the bigger your prize. 'From now on, whoever is in Greece illegally will never be legalized, will never get a residence permit,' he said, pointing out that some 55-65,000 people enter Greece illegally every year, with half granted asylum. 'There must be (sanctions) for those who persist in staying even though they are not legally here,' he said. The new draft law, approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, carries a prison sentence of up to five years for illegal entry and residence, he said. The draft's parliamentary passage, slated for June, is essentially assured with the government enjoying a majority. Administrative detention prior to deportation will be extended to a maximum two years, up from a maximum 18 months currently, he said. Irregular migrants can choose voluntary repatriation to avoid any sanctions, he said. Voridis said new regulations to encourage legal migration will be presented by July. According to Bank of Greece governor Yiannis Stournaras, the country is short of around 200,000 laborers.
