Greece: Authorities detain 76 illegal Muslim migrants
on Crete as smugglers seek new routes
As a transit and destination country, Greece has had its fair share of problems, stemming from illegal Muslim migrants coming across its borders. This time, they came from Syria, Egypt, Sudan and Bangladesh.
Last month, a Greek border guard was shot while patrolling the border with Turkey. Greek authorities stated that “a migrant smuggler may have opened fire on the border guards to allow illegal migrants to cross into the country.” Now these smugglers are seeking out new routes.
People smugglers who abet mass migration for their own profit should be arrested and made an example of.
Greek authorities detain migrants on Crete as smugglers seek new routes
Associated Press, August 20, 2024:
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities on the southern Greek island of Crete detained 76 migrants early Tuesday after they arrived on three boats, as smugglers seek new routes in the region to evade coast guard patrols.
The migrants from Syria, Egypt, Sudan and Bangladesh included six children and arrived before dawn on the tiny island of Gavdos, near Crete’s southern coast, local officials said. Usually, such migrants are detained for identification and processing, after which they can apply for asylum while waiting in refugee camps, with cases accessed on an individual basis.
Smugglers typically target Greek islands close to Turkey’s coastline, but in recent months they have increasingly chosen longer routes to Crete and islands in the central Aegean Sea, where coast guard patrols are more relaxed.
The Greek government is considering setting up state-funded processing centers on Crete to assist local authorities. Currently, migrants are housed in sports facilities, disused buildings, and schools during the summer months.
The Aegean route remains active, and on Tuesday Greece’s coast guard said it had picked up a total 70 people over the past 24 hours in three separate incidents off the country’s eastern islands. All made the short crossing from Turkey in small boats. They were taken to migrant reception centers on Samos, Leros and Chios.…
UK announces new measures to crack down on migrant crossings from France
The UK on Wednesday announced new measures to curb the number of migrants arriving illegally from France via the English Channel. The measures include recruiting specialist officers tasked with dismantling smuggling gangs and sanctioning employers who hire people without a legal right to work. The government aims over the next six months to reach the highest rate of deportations of failed asylum seekers in five years.
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The British government on Wednesday announced new measures to crack down on high numbers of asylum seekers arriving illegally on small boats from France.
It said 100 "new specialist intelligence and investigation officers" would be recruited to the National Crime Agency (NCA) to help dismantle smuggling gangs that run the dangerous crossings.
The interior ministry added that the government aims over the next six months to achieve the highest rate of deportations of failed asylum seekers for five years.
The Labour government, which won an election last month, intends to increase detention capacity at removal centres and sanction employers who hire people with no right to work in the UK, the Home Office said.
"We are taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security and ensure the rules are respected and enforced," interior minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement.
Stopping the small boat arrivals was a key issue in the July 4 election, in which Labour won a thumping majority.
Within days of taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped a controversial scheme to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, which had been a flagship policy of the last Conservative government.
Starmer has instead pledged to dismantle the people-smuggling gangs who organise the crossings and are paid thousands of euros by each migrant.
The Home Office is recruiting a so-called Border Security Commander who will work with European countries against the people-smuggling gangs.
Starmer has also pledged with French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen "cooperation" in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.
More than 200 people crossed the Channel in three boats on Monday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to 19,294, according to Home Office figures.
This is a 10 percent increase on the number recorded last year, which was 17,620, but down on the 21,344 crossings recorded in the same period of 2022.
The Home Office said the NCA is pursuing about 70 investigations against criminal networks involved in people trafficking.
It said the government would issue financial penalty notices, business closure orders and bring possible prosecutions against anyone employing illegal workers.
The department also said it was adding 290 beds to two removal centres and redeploying staff to try to remove failed asylum seekers at the highest rate since 2018. The ministry did not give figures on the numbers involved.
(AFP)
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