Latest news with #irregularmigration
The National
3 days ago
- General
- The National
Without peace in Yemen more Red Sea migrants will lose their lives
One can only imagine the fear felt by those aboard the migrant vessel that capsized off the coast of southern Yemen on Sunday. The craft, which was carrying 200 people, mostly Ethiopians, sank in the Gulf of Aden as a result of heavy seas and strong winds as it headed to Abyan governorate. According to the International Organisation for Migration, at least 90 people died and dozens more are missing. The shipwreck is the deadliest on the route east of the Horn of Africa since the IOM began collecting data in 2014, according to figures analysed by The National. It is dispiriting to think that it takes a tragedy of this magnitude to draw more international attention to the dangers of irregular migration across the Red Sea. Nevertheless, Sunday's incident is a poignant reminder that so long as peace and stability elude Yemen, more migrants will die on their way there or face violence and abuse even if they make it. Abyan governorate, where the ill-fated boat was travelling to on Sunday, is a microcosm of the Yemeni conflict. For years, the region was fought over by different armed factions. Such fighting and accompanying political fragmentation fuelled poverty and unemployment – neither of which are unusual in the Middle East's poorest country. In its response to Sunday's deaths, the IOM called for more effective search-and-rescue operations as well as accountability for smugglers and traffickers. But given Yemen's impoverished state as well as its division into different zones of influence, the possibility of achieving such goals right now seems remote. This is not a new problem. In June 2021 another boat travelling to the country from the Horn of Africa capsized, resulting in the death of at least 25 migrants. Two months before, a fire in a Sanaa detention facility run by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis – conditions in which were described by the IOM as ' inhuman ' and 'unsafe' – killed dozens of migrants and injured at least 170. Survivors of the March 8 blaze told The National that Houthi guards started the fire following a protest about appalling living conditions. It is difficult to think of a more vulnerable group than irregular migrants in Yemen, the vast majority of whom regard the country as a transit point on their journey northwards. Although the local population has endured years of war and poverty, there is a substantial amount of documented evidence that describes the physical, psychological and sexual abuse suffered by migrants at the hands of criminals taking advantage of lawlessness caused by the Houthis and years of war. The international community can no longer remain indifferent to Yemen's predicament, particularly as it relates to African migrants fleeing war and poverty in their home countries. The best way to help such people is to restore stability to Yemen and build the country's capacity to tackle such challenges. The international community can no longer remain indifferent to Yemen's predicament, particularly as it relates to African migrants fleeing war and poverty in their home countries Restarting a moribund talks process would be a good start and the conditions are right for such a development. The UN's special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in July that such a possibility existed and Iran – the Houthis' main backer – is dealing with its own challenges. The overall level of fighting within the country has subsided, possibly opening up the space for a rejuvenated political process. However, without a framework for peace, stability and development, it will be a relatively small number of NGOs that will be left fighting to hold the line on a humanitarian crisis that can and should be managed better and eventually resolved.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Will Labour's new migrant controls stop the boats… or encourage Nigel Farage?
Maybe everyone can agree on one thing: if stopping the boats was easy, it would have been done by now. Whether the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, ever deluded herself otherwise, a year of only limited progress in the government's mission to 'smash the gangs' must have brought home to her just how intractable irregular migration is. The numbers of those crossing the Channel are as high as ever – partly because of the warm weather and calm waters, but also because the criminals who run these people-smuggling businesses are also smart and innovative. When Keir Starmer said he would bring the same legal powers and resources to the criminal gangs as had been applied to terrorism and drugs, he seemed to have forgotten that those wars are also far from over – let alone won. Will more of the same work? Cooper must hope so. She's promising another £100m for the National Crime Agency to recruit more officers, and there'll be enhanced 'detection technology' to defeat the people traffickers. Making those distasteful online 'ads' for smuggling services is to be a specific criminal offence. Less convincingly, the government proposes to financially penalise universities where too many foreign students fail to complete their courses because they use their study visas as the first stage in an asylum application. How the university applications officers are supposed to vet all their student applicants in this way is far from clear – quite aside from the fact that the right to claim asylum is absolute and universal under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This, by the way, is why no migrant seeking refugee status can be labelled 'illegal', even though that is what was laid down in domestic law by the previous administration. So Cooper is in this for the long haul, making slow, incremental progress both at home and in cooperation with other concerned nations near and far, patiently waiting for the forces of law and order to push their investigations and prosecutions forward. Any single measure, inevitably, tends to get dismissed as hopelessly inadequate. How, it is asked, can the German authorities stop the trade in dinghies and marine engines? How will a crackdown on TikTok videos stop anyone trying to make the journey? Will the treaty with the French, agreed last month, ever be scaled up to make a real difference? Even if one gang is broken up, surely there will be more ready to take their trade? Such scepticism is entirely justified, but it is no reason to give up. Cooper's political pitch has to be that only painstakingly slow, hard work – constantly bearing down on the gangs, working through the vast asylum claim backlog, and getting other countries to take or take back the failed asylum seekers – can succeed. This dedicated effort has to be contrasted with the deceptively easy solutions promised by Reform UK. Nigel Farage, in other words, does not have the answers and would not solve the problem. Just the same as Brexit, in fact, when he also made extravagant claims about how it would solve our economic problems, and then blamed everyone else when it left the nation impoverished. Now he's blaming the migrants rather than Brussels, and his policies – little more than slogans – should be treated with extreme caution. Leaving the ECHR, for example – which he used to call 'Brexit 2.0' before Brexit 1.0 turned out to be a flop – wouldn't change a thing over in Calais. Yes, it would make claiming asylum impossible, and it would, perhaps in some cases, speed deportation and reduce spurious human rights claims by criminals. But it wouldn't stop anyone – refugee or economic migrant – from seeking a better life in the UK, and doing whatever it takes and paying any price (including loss of their own life) in the process. A policy of 'detain, deport', as so lazily tossed out by the radical right, only works if migrants continue to give themselves up. If they cannot do that, because the ECHR right to claim asylum is abolished, then they will not be willing to approach Border Force so that they can indeed be detained and then removed (somehow – again, never entirely clear to where). Instead, we will have irregular crossings turning into irregular, uncurated landings along the south coast of England. And even if the English Channel was somehow made small-boat proof, other methods would be found, such as further abuse of the visa system. Getting sent to Rwanda, say, only acts as a deterrent if you get caught in the first place. But pushing refugees and economic migrants into the grey economy and slum accommodation run by gangs really would turn them into the criminals they do not wish to be. It's not that the remedies offered by Farage, Rupert Lowe, various fascists and some Conservatives are cruel and morally shameful, which they are, but that they are impractical and costly. They're inured to personal abuse. In the words of Lowe: 'You can call me 'far-right', you can call me 'racist' – I just do not care. Detain these men, and deport these men – every single one of them.' Except it wouldn't work, for the reasons explained. Even getting the Royal Navy to attack the boats wouldn't succeed, because there are too many dinghies and too few Navy vessels (and the Navy has other things to do). The Farage/Lowe way of controlling migration is to sloganise and strike a pose, never to make a practical proposal. Labour's way is to get it done slowly but surely – grinding hard graft, with some respect for humanity, compassion for the most vulnerable, and dealing swiftly with any criminality. It just needs to be seen to be working, and it ain't easy.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland extends border controls with Germany and Lithuania until October
Poland is extending its temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania until October 4. This was announced by Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński on Sunday. The reason given was continued concerns regarding irregular migration. Increased security measures have made the route via Belarus and Russia largely impassable, which is why the migration movement is increasingly shifting to other EU states - especially Lithuania and Latvia. 'The 98% tightness of our barrier means that Belarusian and Russian services and illegal migration are moving to other sections,' says Kierwiński. 'Today, the main task not only for us but also for our partners in the European Union is to close the route to Lithuania and Latvia, if I may use that word,' he added. In response to illegal migration, Germany introduced controls at its borders with Poland and the Czech Republic. Last year, these controls were extended to all borders. 'In September, we will decide on the next steps in this regard based on data from the border guards, the military and the police,' Kierwiński said. In Lithuania, controls are being carried out at 13 locations, including three border crossings. The remaining 10 border crossing sites will be 'ad hoc control sites', which can be used by local residents. In Germany, border controls are carried out at 52 locations. The decision to maintain controls at internal Schengen borders continues to undermine the EU principle of free movement of people. However, Schengen countries are allowed to introduce border controls in what they consider to be 'emergency' situations, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, or as a 'last resort' for security threats.
The Guardian
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Libya is ready to work with European governments to stem the migrant flow
The ambition of Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to join the UK-France migrant returns agreement overlooks one of the most important changes that would substantially reduce the flow of irregular migration to Europe: a pact with the internationally recognised government of national unity (GNU) in Libya (Merz calls for UK, Germany and France to align on migration and defence, 17 July). European governments should be working ever more closely with the GNU in Tripoli to help deliver national sovereignty in Libya, so that the UN-backed government can ensure the rule of law, and – to borrow one of Sir Keir Starmer's favoured mantras – 'smash the gangs' that traffic in human lives at source. Any proposal that fails to support the GNU in tackling the criminal networks that drive people- smuggling into Europe through Libya – including the Anglo-French 'one in, one out' scheme, and German participation – is missing a chance to deliver significant EllafiMinister of communication and political affairs, Libya Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Forbes
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
U.K. Announces Random Sanctions Hoping To Reduce Irregular Migration
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) ... More (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) The government of the United Kingdom has announced a raft of financial sanctions and asset freezes against various individuals and entities it says are 'driving' irregular migration to Britain. It is the latest step in the Labour party government's attempts to reduce arrivals to the U.K., particularly those coming across the English channel by small boat from France. While the government is saying this move represents an 'innovative foreign policy approach" to deliver on its commitments to reduce irregular migration, it is unclear how this raft of sanctions will help, given the diffuse nature of smuggling networks and irregular migration. 'This is a landmark moment in the government's work to tackle organized immigration crime (and) reduce irregular migration to the U.K.' said Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the press release announcing the sanctions. In total, the government says it will sanction 25 individuals and entities 'at the heart of people-smuggling networks that drive irregular migration to the U.K.' These sanctions target various people and entities that are allegedly involved in the smuggling trade, including a Chinese company which makes boats roughly corresponding to those used by people to cross the channel, as well as various Balkan groups that allegedly make fake passports for irregular migrants. On the list as well are people allegedly involved in the informal 'Hawala' system of payments very common in developing countries, as well as the 'Tetwani Gang' who are referred to in the government's press release as 'known as one of the Balkan's most violent people.' Various other people and groups are listed for sanctions under headings such as 'Iraqi-linked people-smuggling," 'Gangland bosses,' and 'North African gangs operating in the Balkans." If the scattershot nature of these financial sanctions is confusing, it is better understood within the context of the pressure the Labour government is under to reduce irregular migration. The party, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, campaigned heavily on a platform of reducing irregular arrivals to the U.K. Since coming to power in mid-2024, the government under Starmer has put a heavy emphasis on border security, detention and deportations. Nonetheless, they have faced significant electoral challenge from the far-right anti-immigration Reform Party. Facing challenge from Reform - and fearing that if they do not appear 'tough' enough on migration they will lose further electoral ground - the Starmer government has done its best to show it is taking the issue 'seriously.' In recent months, the government has announced a massive increase in deportation flights of rejected asylum seekers - despite concerns raised by legal and human rights advocates. It has also announced it is considering leveraging visa policy arrangements to get poorer countries to accept more deportations of their nationals. None of this seems to have shifted the needle. Nonetheless, with this latest raft of sanctions, it seems the Labour government is doubling down on the strategy, isolating what various people and groups it can find to show the British public it is serious about reducing irregular migration - even if this rag-tag group of entities being denied access to the U.K. banking system probably won't quite 'stop the boats.'
