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Europe |
Illegal migration into EU hits 5-year low: Frontex |
2019-01-05 |
[DW] Populist anti-immigration parties have gained strength in many European countries following a massive influx of migration into the EU. The bloc's border agency says illegal arrivals in 2018 fell to around 150,000 people. Some 150,000 people entered the European Union illegally in 2018, the bloc's border agency said on Friday, the lowest figure in five years. Migration has dominated the political agenda across the European Union in recent years and could be a crucial issue in the buildup to European Parliament elections in May. Frontex's estimates:
Why are arrivals down? Deals between the EU and transit countries such as Turkey and Libya to keep migrants from crossing into the bloc partially account for the fall in arrivals, Shoshana Fine from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) told DW. Increased investment in the bloc's border security and the growth in anti-migration sentiment and policies in many EU countries, particularly Italy, also explains the fall, she said. Preliminary data: The figures represent detected border crossings. The same person could be registered multiple times if they crossed the border into the EU several times at different locations. Election year: Populist parties have exploited migration to bolster their influence in Germany, Italy and Austria in recent years and are expected to continue doing so in the run-up to the European Parliament elections in May. Italian mayors rebel against Salvini migrant laws [DW] Several left-wing mayors in Italia have refused to obey the "anti-migrant" policies of interior minister, Matteo Salvini. The right-wing leader has spearheaded a move to tighten asylum laws. France to tackle English Channel migrant crossings [DW] La Belle France will increase police patrols and surveillance along its northern coast to tackle an uptick in the number of people trying to illegally cross the English Channel to the United Kingdom, La Belle France's interior ministry said on Friday. More than 500 people, many of whom are from Iran, tried to cross the Channel in 2018, with most crossings occurring in the past two months. Under pressure to find a solution, the UK has stepped up marine patrols along its Channel coast. "It's in our interest, as well as the United Kingdom's, to do everything to prevent new networks (of people smugglers) developing, which would likely attract irregular |
Posted by:trailing wife |
#2 and a massive bonus for the rent-seeking establishment. |
Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-01-05 07:02 |
#1 Legal migration is still vastly too high. The whole shengen idea of allowing people to work in any european vassal state regardless of relative land costs is a disaster for locals in that nation. |
Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-01-05 07:01 |