• THE EUROPEAN MIGRANT CRISIS[N OR REFUGEE CRISIS[N IS A TERM

GIVEN TO A PERIOD BEGINNING IN 2013[CITATION NEEDED][11] WHEN

RISING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE ARRIVED IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) FROM
ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA OR OVERLAND THROUGH SOUTHEAST
EUROPE. IT IS PART OF A PATTERN OF INCREASED IMMIGRATION TO EUROPE
FROM OTHER CONTINENTS WHICH BEGAN IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY AND
WHICH HAS ENCOUNTERED RESISTANCE IN MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
• IMMIGRANTS FROM OUTSIDE EUROPE INCLUDE ASYLUM SEEKERS AND
ECONOMIC MIGRANTS.[13] THE TERM "IMMIGRANT" IS USED BY THE
EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO DESCRIBE A PERSON FROM A NON-EU
COUNTRY ESTABLISHING HIS OR HER USUAL RESIDENCE IN THE TERRITORY
OF AN EU COUNTRY FOR A PERIOD THAT IS, OR IS EXPECTED TO BE, AT LEAST
TWELVE MONTHS. MOST OF THE MIGRANTS CAME FROM MUSLIM-
MAJORITY COUNTRIES IN REGIONS SOUTH AND EAST OF EUROPE,
INCLUDING THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA.[
• AMONG OTHER FACTORS, CLIMATE CHANGE IS CONSIDERED A DRIVING FORCE FOR LARGE-SCALE
MIGRATION TO EUROPE.[17][18][19] THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF EUROPEAN COLONIALISM, INCLUDING
WIDESPREAD POVERTY AND CORRUPTION, ARE ALSO FACTORS.[20] IN RARE CASES, IMMIGRATION HAS
BEEN A COVER FOR ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS DISGUISED AS REFUGEES OR MIGRANTS.[21][22] BY
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, THE MAJORITY OF ENTRANTS WERE MUSLIM (USUALLY SUNNI MUSLIM), WITH A
SMALL COMPONENT OF NON-MUSLIM MINORITIES (INCLUDING YAZIDIS, ASSYRIANS AND MANDEANS).
ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, THE TOP THREE
NATIONALITIES OF ENTRANTS OF THE OVER ONE MILLION MEDITERRANEAN SEA ARRIVALS BETWEEN
JANUARY 2015 AND MARCH 2016 WERE SYRIAN (46.7%), AFGHAN (20.9%) AND IRAQI (9.4%).[23]
• OF THE MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN EUROPE BY SEA IN 2015, 58% WERE MALES OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE (77%
OF ADULTS), 17% WERE FEMALES OVER 18 (22% OF ADULTS) AND THE REMAINING 25% WERE UNDER
18.[24] THE NUMBER OF DEATHS AT SEA ROSE TO RECORD LEVELS IN APRIL 2015, WHEN FIVE BOATS
CARRYING ALMOST 2,000 MIGRANTS TO EUROPE SANK IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, WITH A COMBINED
DEATH TOLL ESTIMATED AT MORE THAN 1,200 PEOPLE.[25] THE SHIPWRECKS TOOK PLACE IN A CONTEXT
OF ONGOING CONFLICTS AND REFUGEE CRISES IN SEVERAL ASIAN AND AFRICAN COUNTRIES, WHICH
INCREASED THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AT THE END OF 2014 TO
ALMOST 60 MILLION, THE HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE WORLD WAR II.
• THOUGH THE MIGRANT CRISIS IS MOSTLY DISCUSSED IN EUROPE, THE TOP
TEN COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST REFUGEES ARE MIDDLE EASTERN AND
AFRICAN COUNTRIES. JORDAN, TURKEY, AND PAKISTAN ARE THE TOP THREE
BIGGEST MIGRANT DESTINATIONS, WHILE LEBANON, IRAN, ETHIOPIA,
KENYA, UGANDA, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, AND CHAD ARE
THE REST OF THE COUNTRIES IN THE TOP 10 OF THE LIST. SIX OUT OF THE
TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST REFUGEES ARE MUSLIM-MAJORITY
COUNTRIES.
OPERATION TRITON: IRISH NAVAL SERVICE PERSONNEL FROM THE LÉ EITHNE RESCUING
MIGRANTS, 15 JUNE 2015
BACKGROUND
• BETWEEN 2010 AND 2013, AROUND 1.4 MILLION NON-EU NATIONALS, EXCLUDING ASYLUM SEEKERS AND
REFUGEES ARRIVED IN THE EU EACH YEAR, WITH A SLIGHT DECREASE AFTER 2010.[29]
• AMID AN UPSURGE IN THE NUMBER OF SEA ARRIVALS IN ITALY FROM LIBYA IN 2014, SEVERAL EUROPEAN
UNION GOVERNMENTS REFUSED TO FUND THE ITALIAN-RUN RESCUE OPTION OPERATION MARE NOSTRUM,
WHICH WAS REPLACED BY FRONTEX'S OPERATION TRITON IN NOVEMBER 2014. IN THE FIRST SIX
MONTHS OF 2015, GREECE OVERTOOK ITALY IN THE NUMBER OF ARRIVALS, BECOMING IN THE SUMMER
OF 2015 THE STARTING POINT OF A FLOW OF REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS MOVING THROUGH BALKAN
COUNTRIES TO NORTHERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, MAINLY GERMANY AND SWEDEN.
• ALREADY IN 2010 THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION EXPLORED IN A STUDY THE FINANCIAL,
POLITICAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF A RELOCATION OF MIGRANTS IN EUROPE.[30]
• SINCE APRIL 2015, THE EU HAS STRUGGLED TO COPE WITH THE CRISIS, INCREASING
FUNDING FOR BORDER PATROL OPERATIONS ONLY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, DEVISING
PLANS TO FIGHT MIGRANT SMUGGLING THROUGH INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE MILITARY
OPERATION SOPHIA AND PROPOSING A NEW QUOTA SYSTEM BOTH TO RELOCATE
ASYLUM SEEKERS AMONG EU STATES FOR PROCESSING OF REFUGEE CLAIMS TO
ALLEVIATE THE BURDEN ON COUNTRIES ON THE OUTER BORDERS OF THE UNION AND TO
RESETTLE ASYLUM SEEKERS WHO HAVE BEEN DETERMINED TO BE GENUINE REFUGEES.
INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES HAVE AT TIMES RE-INTRODUCED BORDER CONTROLS WITHIN
THE SCHENGEN AREA AND RIFTS HAVE EMERGED BETWEEN COUNTRIES WILLING TO
ALLOW ENTRY OF ASYLUM SEEKERS FOR PROCESSING OF REFUGEE CLAIMS AND OTHER
COUNTRIES TRYING TO DISCOURAGE THEIR ENTRY.
• ACCORDING TO EUROSTAT, EU MEMBER STATES RECEIVED OVER 1.2
MILLION FIRST-TIME ASYLUM APPLICATIONS IN 2015, MORE THAN DOUBLE
THAT OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR. FOUR STATES (GERMANY, HUNGARY, SWEDEN
AND AUSTRIA) RECEIVED AROUND TWO-THIRDS OF THE EU'S ASYLUM
APPLICATIONS IN 2015, WITH HUNGARY, SWEDEN AND AUSTRIA BEING THE
TOP RECIPIENTS OF ASYLUM APPLICATIONS PER CAPITA.[31] MORE THAN 1
MILLION MIGRANTS CROSSED THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IN 2015, SHARPLY
DROPPING TO 364,000 IN 2016.[32] NUMBERS OF ARRIVING MIGRANTS
FELL AGAIN IN 2017.[
SCHENGEN AREA AND DUBLIN REGULATION
• IN THE SCHENGEN AGREEMENT OF 14 JUNE 1985, 26 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES (22 OF THE
28 EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES, PLUS FOUR EUROPEAN FREE TRADE
ASSOCIATION STATES) JOINED TOGETHER TO FORM AN AREA WHERE BORDER CHECKS
ON INTERNAL SCHENGEN BORDERS (I.E. BETWEEN MEMBER STATES) ARE ABOLISHED
AND INSTEAD CHECKS ARE RESTRICTED TO THE EXTERNAL SCHENGEN BORDERS AND
COUNTRIES WITH EXTERNAL BORDERS ARE OBLIGATED TO ENFORCE BORDER CONTROL
REGULATIONS. COUNTRIES MAY REINSTATE INTERNAL BORDER CONTROLS FOR A
MAXIMUM OF TWO MONTHS FOR "PUBLIC POLICY OR NATIONAL SECURITY" REASONS
• THE DUBLIN REGULATION DETERMINES THE EU MEMBER STATE RESPONSIBLE TO EXAMINE AN ASYLUM
APPLICATION TO PREVENT ASYLUM APPLICANTS IN THE EU FROM "ASYLUM SHOPPING", WHERE
APPLICANTS SEND THEIR APPLICATIONS FOR ASYLUM TO NUMEROUS EU MEMBER STATES TO GET THE
BEST "DEAL" INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING "SAFETY COUNTRIES",[35] OR "ASYLUM ORBITING", WHERE NO
MEMBER STATE TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR AN ASYLUM SEEKER. BY DEFAULT (WHEN NO FAMILY
REASONS OR HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS ARE PRESENT), THE FIRST MEMBER STATE THAT AN ASYLUM
SEEKER ENTERED AND IN WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN FINGERPRINTED IS RESPONSIBLE. IF THE ASYLUM
SEEKER THEN MOVES TO ANOTHER MEMBER STATE, THEY CAN BE TRANSFERRED BACK TO THE MEMBER
STATE THEY FIRST ENTERED. THIS HAS LED MANY TO CRITICISE THE DUBLIN RULES FOR PLACING TOO
MUCH RESPONSIBILITY FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS ON MEMBER STATES ON THE EU'S EXTERNAL BORDERS
(LIKE ITALY, GREECE AND HUNGARY), INSTEAD OF DEVISING A BURDEN-SHARING SYSTEM AMONG EU
STATES
• INJUNE 2016, THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL
ADDRESSED "INHERENT WEAKNESSES" IN THE COMMON EUROPEAN ASYLUM SYSTEM
AND PROPOSED REFORMS FOR THE DUBLIN REGULATION.[39] UNDER THE INITIAL
DUBLIN REGULATION, RESPONSIBILITY WAS CONCENTRATED ON BORDER STATES THAT
RECEIVED A LARGE INFLUX OF ASYLUM SEEKERS. A BRIEFING BY THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT EXPLAINED THAT THE DUBLIN AGREEMENT WAS ONLY DESIGNED TO
ASSIGN RESPONSIBILITY, NOT EFFECTIVELY SHARE RESPONSIBILITY.[40] THE REFORMS
WOULD ATTEMPT TO CREATE A BURDEN-SHARING SYSTEM THROUGH SEVERAL
MECHANISMS.
• THE PROPOSAL WOULD INTRODUCE A "CENTRALIZED AUTOMATED SYSTEM" TO RECORD
THE NUMBER OF ASYLUM APPLICATIONS ACROSS THE EU, WITH "NATIONAL
INTERFACES" WITHIN EACH OF THE MEMBER STATES.[41] IT WOULD ALSO PRESENT A
"REFERENCE KEY" BASED ON A MEMBER STATE'S GDP AND POPULATION SIZE TO
DETERMINE ITS ABSORPTION CAPACITY.[41] WHEN ABSORPTION CAPACITY IN A
MEMBER STATE EXCEEDS 150% OF ITS REFERENCE SHARE, A "FAIRNESS MECHANISM"
WOULD DISTRIBUTE THE EXCESS NUMBER OF ASYLUM SEEKERS ACROSS LESS
CONGESTED MEMBER STATES.[41] IF A MEMBER STATE CHOOSES NOT TO ACCEPT THE
ASYLUM SEEKERS, IT WOULD CONTRIBUTE €250,000 PER APPLICATION AS A
"SOLIDARITY CONTRIBUTION".[41] THE REFORMS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED IN EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT SINCE ITS PROPOSAL IN 2016, AND WAS INCLUDED IN A MEETING ON "THE
THIRD REFORM OF THE COMMON EUROPEAN ASYLUM SYSTEM - UP FOR THE
CHALLENGE" IN 2017.[42]
THE SCHENGEN AREA
EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERS LEGALLY
OBLIGED TO JOIN SCHENGEN AT A FUTURE
DATE

COUNTRIES WITH OPEN BORDERS

CARRIER'S RESPONSIBILITY
• ARTICLE26 OF THE SCHENGEN CONVENTION[43] SAYS THAT CARRIERS WHICH
TRANSPORT PEOPLE INTO THE SCHENGEN AREA SHALL IF THEY TRANSPORT PEOPLE
WHO ARE REFUSED ENTRY INTO THE SCHENGEN AREA, BE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY FOR THE
RETURN OF THE REFUSED PEOPLE, AND PAY PENALTIES.[44] FURTHER CLAUSES ON THIS
TOPIC ARE FOUND IN EU DIRECTIVE 2001/51/EC.[45] THIS HAS HAD THE EFFECT THAT
MIGRANTS WITHOUT A VISA ARE NOT ALLOWED ON AIRCRAFT, BOATS OR TRAINS
GOING INTO THE SCHENGEN AREA, SO MIGRANTS WITHOUT A VISA HAVE RESORTED TO
MIGRANT SMUGGLERS.[46] HUMANITARIAN VISAS ARE IN GENERAL NOT GIVEN TO
REFUGEES WHO WANT TO APPLY FOR ASYLUM
• THE LAWS ON MIGRANT SMUGGLING BAN HELPING MIGRANTS TO PASS ANY NATIONAL
BORDER IF THE MIGRANTS ARE WITHOUT A VISA OR OTHER PERMISSION TO ENTER.
THIS HAS CAUSED MANY AIRLINES TO CHECK FOR VISAS AND REFUSE PASSAGE TO
MIGRANTS WITHOUT VISAS, INCLUDING THROUGH INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS INSIDE
THE SCHENGEN AREA. AFTER BEING REFUSED AIR PASSAGE, MANY MIGRANTS THEN
ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL OVERLAND TO THEIR DESTINATION COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO A
STUDY CARRIED OUT FOR THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, "PENALTIES FOR CARRIERS,
WHO ASSUME SOME OF THE CONTROL DUTIES OF THE EUROPEAN POLICE SERVICES,
EITHER BLOCK ASYLUM-SEEKERS FAR FROM EUROPE'S BORDERS OR FORCE THEM TO
PAY MORE AND TAKE GREATER RISKS TO TRAVEL ILLEGALLY".[
STATISTICS ON THE EU'S FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION
PRIOR TO 2015
• THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION RESIDING IN THE EU IN 2014 WAS 33 MILLION PEOPLE,
OR 7% OF THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE 28 EU COUNTRIES (ABOVE 500 MILLION
PEOPLE). BY COMPARISON, THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IS 7.7% IN RUSSIA,[52]
13% IN THE UNITED STATES, 20% IN CANADA, 27% IN AUSTRALIA AND 1.63% OF THE
TOTAL POPULATION IN JAPAN.[53] BETWEEN 2010 AND 2013, AROUND 1.4 MILLION NON-
EU NATIONALS, EXCLUDING ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES, IMMIGRATED INTO THE EU
EACH YEAR USING REGULAR MEANS, WITH A SLIGHT DECREASE SINCE 2010
• PRIOR TO 2014, THE NUMBER OF ASYLUM APPLICATIONS IN THE EU PEAKED
IN 1992 (672,000), 2001 (424,000) AND 2013 (431,000). IN 2014 IT
REACHED 626,000.[54] ACCORDING TO THE UNHCR, THE EU COUNTRIES
WITH THE BIGGEST NUMBERS OF RECOGNISED REFUGEES AT THE END OF
2014 WERE FRANCE (252,264), GERMANY (216,973), SWEDEN (142,207)
AND THE UNITED KINGDOM (117,161). NO EUROPEAN STATE WAS AMONG
THE TOP TEN REFUGEE-HOSTING COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.[26]
• PRIOR TO 2014, THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS DETECTED
BY FRONTEX AT THE EXTERNAL BORDERS OF THE EU PEAKED IN 2011, WITH
141,051 TOTAL (SEA AND LAND COMBINED)
GLOBAL REFUGEE CRISIS
• ACCORDING TO THE UNHCR, THE NUMBER OF FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE
WORLDWIDE DURING THE REFUGEE CRISIS REACHED 59.5 MILLION AT THE
END OF 2014, THE HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE WORLD WAR II,[57] WITH A 40%
INCREASE TAKING PLACE SINCE 2011. OF THESE 59.5 MILLION, 19.5
MILLION WERE REFUGEES (14.4 MILLION UNDER UNHCR'S MANDATE, PLUS
5.1 MILLION PALESTINIAN REFUGEES UNDER UNRWA'S MANDATE), AND 1.8
MILLION WERE ASYLUM-SEEKERS. THE REST WERE PERSONS DISPLACED
WITHIN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES (INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS).
• 14.4 MILLION REFUGEES UNDER UNHCR'S MANDATE WERE AROUND 2.7 MILLION MORE
THAN AT THE END OF 2013 (+23%), THE HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 1995. AMONG THEM,
SYRIAN REFUGEES BECAME THE LARGEST REFUGEE GROUP IN 2014 (3.9 MILLION, 1.55
MILLION MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR), OVERTAKING AFGHAN REFUGEES (2.6
MILLION), WHO HAD BEEN THE LARGEST REFUGEE GROUP FOR THREE DECADES. SIX OF
THE TEN LARGEST COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF REFUGEES WERE AFRICAN: SOMALIA,
SUDAN, SOUTH SUDAN, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, THE CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC AND ERITREA
• DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HOSTED THE LARGEST SHARE OF REFUGEES (86% BY THE END
OF 2014, THE HIGHEST FIGURE IN MORE THAN TWO DECADES); THE LEAST DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES ALONE PROVIDED ASYLUM TO 25% OF REFUGEES WORLDWIDE.[26] EVEN
THOUGH MOST SYRIAN REFUGEES WERE HOSTED BY NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES SUCH
AS TURKEY, LEBANON AND JORDAN, THE NUMBER OF ASYLUM APPLICATIONS LODGED BY
SYRIAN REFUGEES IN EUROPE STEADILY INCREASED BETWEEN 2011 AND 2015,
TOTALING 813,599 IN 37 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES (INCLUDING BOTH EU MEMBERS AND
NON-MEMBERS) AS OF NOVEMBER 2015; 57% OF THEM APPLIED FOR ASYLUM IN
GERMANY OR SERBIA.[59] THE LARGEST SINGLE RECIPIENT OF NEW ASYLUM SEEKERS
WORLDWIDE IN 2014 WAS THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, WITH 274,700 ASYLUM
REQUESTS.[
BACKGROUND TO THE CRISIS IN GREECE AND ITALY
• BETWEEN 2007 AND 2011, LARGE NUMBERS OF MIGRANTS FROM THE
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA CROSSED BETWEEN TURKEY AND GREECE,
LEADING GREECE AND THE EUROPEAN BORDER PROTECTION AGENCY
FRONTEX TO UPGRADE BORDER CONTROLS.[60] IN 2012, IMMIGRANT
INFLUX INTO GREECE BY LAND DECREASED BY 95% AFTER THE
CONSTRUCTION OF A FENCE ON THAT PART OF THE GREEK–TURKISH
FRONTIER WHICH DOES NOT FOLLOW THE COURSE OF THE MARITSA
RIVER.[61] IN 2015, BULGARIA FOLLOWED BY UPGRADING A BORDER FENCE
TO PREVENT MIGRANT FLOWS THROUGH TURKEY.
• IN 2008, BERLUSCONI'S GOVERNMENT IN ITALY AND GADDAFI'S GOVERNMENT IN LIBYA
SIGNED A TREATY INCLUDING COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES IN ORDER
TO STOP IRREGULAR MIGRATION FROM LIBYA TO ITALY. THIS LED TO A POLICY OF
FORCIBLY RETURNING TO LIBYA BOAT MIGRANTS INTERCEPTED BY THE ITALIAN COAST
GUARD AT SEA.[64] THE COOPERATION COLLAPSED FOLLOWING THE OUTBREAK OF THE
LIBYAN CIVIL WAR IN 2011, AND IN 2012 THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
RULED THAT ITALY HAD VIOLATED THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS BY
RETURNING MIGRANTS TO LIBYA, AS IT EXPOSED THE MIGRANTS TO THE RISK OF BEING
SUBJECTED TO ILL-TREATMENT IN LIBYA AND VIOLATED THE PROHIBITION OF
COLLECTIVE EXPULSIONS.
• SINCE 2011, AND PARTICULARLY SINCE 2014, INSTABILITY AND THE SECOND CIVIL WAR
IN LIBYA HAVE MADE DEPARTURES FROM THE NORTH-AFRICAN COUNTRY TO ITALY
EASIER, WITH NO CENTRAL AUTHORITY CONTROLLING LIBYA'S PORTS AND DEALING
WITH EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND MIGRANT SMUGGLING NETWORKS FLOURISHING.
THE WAR COULD ALSO HAVE FORCED TO LEAVE MANY AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS RESIDING
IN LIBYA, WHICH USED TO BE ITSELF A DESTINATION COUNTRY FOR MIGRANTS
LOOKING FOR BETTER JOBS.[66] THE 2013 LAMPEDUSA MIGRANT SHIPWRECK
INVOLVED "MORE THAN 360" DEATHS, LEADING THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT TO
ESTABLISH OPERATION MARE NOSTRUM, A LARGE-SCALE NAVAL OPERATION THAT
INVOLVED SEARCH AND RESCUE, WITH SOME MIGRANTS BROUGHT ABOARD A NAVAL
AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP
• IN 2014, THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT ENDED THE OPERATION, CALLING THE COSTS TOO
LARGE FOR ONE EU STATE ALONE TO MANAGE; FRONTEX ASSUMED THE MAIN
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS. THE FRONTEX OPERATION IS
CALLED OPERATION TRITON.[68] THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT HAD REQUESTED
ADDITIONAL FUNDS FROM THE EU TO CONTINUE THE OPERATION BUT MEMBER STATES
DID NOT OFFER THE REQUESTED SUPPORT.[69] THE UK GOVERNMENT CITED FEARS
THAT THE OPERATION WAS ACTING AS "AN UNINTENDED 'PULL FACTOR', ENCOURAGING
MORE MIGRANTS TO ATTEMPT THE DANGEROUS SEA CROSSING AND THEREBY LEADING
TO MORE TRAGIC AND UNNECESSARY DEATHS".[70] THE OPERATION CONSISTED OF
TWO SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT AND THREE SHIPS, WITH SEVEN TEAMS OF STAFF WHO
GATHERED INTELLIGENCE AND CONDUCTED SCREENING/IDENTIFICATION PROCESSING.
ITS MONTHLY BUDGET WAS ESTIMATED AT €2.9 MILLION.[68]
• THE GREEK ISLANDS (KOS, LEROS, CHIOS, FOR EXAMPLE) SERVE AS MAIN
ENTRY POINTS INTO EUROPE FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES.
REFUGEE CRISIS
• REFUGEES ARE PEOPLE FORCED TO FLEE THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN BECAUSE OF PERSECUTION, WAR, OR
VIOLENCE.[73]
• ACCORDING TO THE UNHCR, THE NUMBER OF FORCIBLY DISPLACED PEOPLE WORLDWIDE REACHED
65,600,000 AT THE END OF 2016; THE HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE WORLD WAR II, WITH A 40% INCREASE TAKING
PLACE SINCE 2011. OF THESE 65,600,000, 22.5 MILLION WERE REFUGEES (17.2 MILLION UNDER UNHCR'S
MANDATE, PLUS 5.3 MILLION PALESTINIAN REFUGEES UNDER UNRWA'S MANDATE). 2.8 MILLION OF THE
REFUGEES WERE ASYLUM SEEKERS. THE REST WERE PERSONS DISPLACED WITHIN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES
(INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS). THE 17.2 MILLION REFUGEES UNDER UNHCR'S MANDATE WERE AROUND
2.9 MILLION MORE THAN AT THE END OF 2014, THE HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 1992. AMONG THEM, SYRIAN
REFUGEES BECAME THE LARGEST REFUGEE GROUP IN 2014 (3.9 MILLION, 1.55 MILLION MORE THAN THE
PREVIOUS YEAR), OVERTAKING AFGHAN REFUGEES (2.6 MILLION), WHO HAD BEEN THE LARGEST REFUGEE
GROUP FOR THREE DECADES
• SIXOF THE TEN LARGEST COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF REFUGEES WERE AFRICAN:
SOMALIA, SUDAN, SOUTH SUDAN, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, THE CENTRAL
AFRICAN REPUBLIC AND ERITREA. DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HOSTED THE LARGEST
SHARE OF REFUGEES (86% BY THE END OF 2014, THE HIGHEST FIGURE IN MORE THAN
TWO DECADES); THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ALONE PROVIDED ASYLUM TO 25%
OF REFUGEES WORLDWIDE. EVEN THOUGH MOST SYRIAN REFUGEES WERE HOSTED BY
NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES SUCH AS TURKEY, LEBANON AND JORDAN, THE NUMBER OF
ASYLUM APPLICATIONS LODGED BY SYRIAN REFUGEES IN EUROPE STEADILY INCREASED
BETWEEN 2011–17. BY DECEMBER 2017, UNHCR HAD COUNTED OVER 1,000,000
ASYLUM APPLICATIONS IN 37 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES (INCLUDING BOTH EU MEMBERS
AND NON-MEMBERS).
• AS OF 2017, 55% OF REFUGEES WORLDWIDE CAME FROM THREE NATIONS: SOUTH
SUDAN, AFGHANISTAN, AND SYRIA. OF ALL DISPLACED PEOPLES, 17% OF THEM ARE
BEING HOSTED IN EUROPE. AS OF APRIL 2018, 15,481 REFUGEES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY
ARRIVED TO THE SHORES OF EUROPE VIA SEA WITHIN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF THE
YEAR ALONE. THERE WAS AN ESTIMATED 500 THAT HAVE DIED IN THIS YEAR ALONE. IN
2015, THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 1.02 MILLION ARRIVALS BY SEA. SINCE THEN, THE INFLUX
HAS STEADILY DECREASED BUT IS ONGOING NONETHELESS
SYRIA
• THE GREATEST NUMBER OF REFUGEES FLEEING TO EUROPE ORIGINATE FROM SYRIA. THEIR MIGRATION
STEMS FROM SEVERE SOCIO-POLITICAL OPPRESSION UNDER PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD. CIVIL WAR
ENSUED WITH CLASHES BETWEEN PRO AND ANTI-GOVERNMENT GROUPS. ANTI-GOVERNMENT FORCES
WERE SUPPORTED BY EXTERNAL GOVERNMENTS (INCLUDING THE US, UK AND FRANCE[76]) IN AN EFFORT
TO TOPPLE THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT VIA CLASSIFIED PROGRAMS SUCH AS TIMBER SYCAMORE THAT
EFFECTIVELY DELIVERED THOUSANDS OF TONS OF WEAPONRY TO REBEL
GROUPS.[77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84] IN 2011, A GROUP OF SYRIANS DISPLAYED PRO-DEMOCRACY
PROTESTS IN THE CITY OF DARAA. PRESIDENT ASSAD RESPONDED WITH FORCE AND CONSEQUENTLY,
MORE PROTESTS WERE TRIGGERED NATIONWIDE AGAINST THE ASSAD REGIME.
• BY JULY 2011, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE PROTESTING AGAINST
PRESIDENT ASSAD. AN EARLY VIOLENT CRACKDOWN WAS IMPLEMENTED TO TRY TO
MITIGATE THESE UPRISINGS—HOWEVER, THESE MEASURES WERE MET WITH MORE
UNREST. BY MAY 2011, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAD ALREADY FLED THE COUNTRY AND
THE FIRST REFUGEE CAMPS OPENED IN TURKEY. IN MARCH 2012, THE UNHCR DECIDED
TO APPOINT A REGIONAL REFUGEE COORDINATOR FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES—
RECOGNISING THE GROWING CONCERNS SURROUNDING THE CRISIS. JUST A YEAR
LATER, IN MARCH 2013, THE NUMBER OF SYRIAN REFUGEES REACHED 1,000,000. BY
DECEMBER 2017, UNHCR COUNTED 1,000,000 ASYLUM APPLICATIONS FOR SYRIAN
REFUGEES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. AS OF MARCH 2018, UNHCR HAS COUNTED NEARLY
5.6 MILLION REGISTERED SYRIAN REFUGEES WORLDWIDE
AFGHANISTAN
• AFGHAN REFUGEES COMPRISE THE SECOND-LARGEST REFUGEE POPULATION IN THE
WORLD.[86] ACCORDING TO THE UNHCR, THERE ARE ALMOST 2.5 MILLION REGISTERED
REFUGEES FROM AFGHANISTAN. MOST OF THESE REFUGEES HAVE FLED THE REGION DUE
TO WAR AND PERSECUTION. THE MAJORITY HAVE RESETTLED IN PAKISTAN AND IRAN,
BUT IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMMON TO MIGRATE FURTHER WEST TO THE
EUROPEAN UNION. AFGHANISTAN HAS FACED NEARLY 40 YEARS OF CONFLICT DATING
BACK TO THE SOVIET INVASION IN 1979.
• SINCE THEN, THE NATION HAS FACED FLUCTUATING LEVELS OF CIVIL WAR
AMIDST UNENDING UNREST. THE INCREASE IN REFUGEE NUMBERS HAS
BEEN CREDITED PRIMARILY TO THE TALIBAN PRESENCE WITHIN
AFGHANISTAN. THEIR RETREAT IN 2001, LED TO NEARLY 6 MILLION AFGHAN
REFUGEES RETURNING TO THEIR HOMELAND. HOWEVER, AFTER CIVIL
UNREST AND FIGHTING ALONGSIDE THE TALIBAN'S RETURN, NEARLY 2.5
MILLION REFUGEES HAVE FLED AFGHANISTAN.[87] MOST AFGHAN
REFUGEES, HOWEVER, SEEK REFUGE IN THE NEIGHBORING NATION OF
PAKISTAN. INCREASING NUMBERS, THOUGH, HAVE COMMITTED TO THE
STRENUOUS MIGRATION TO TURKEY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION.
ECONOMIC ASYLUM
• FOR LONG, ECONOMIC MIGRATION HAS BEEN A GLOBAL ISSUE. SUCH MIGRATION IS PURSUED TO IN
ORDER TO SEEK LIVING CONDITIONS/STANDARDS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES THAT DO NOT EXIST IN THE
MIGRANT'S COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. THESE MIGRANTS ARE TERMED "MIGRANT WORKERS" BY THE UNITED
NATIONS. ACCORDING TO THE OECD, OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, MIGRANTS ACCOUNTED FOR OVER 70%
OF THE INCREASE IN EUROPE'S WORKFORCE. THE OECD HAS REPORTED THAT SUCH IMMIGRATION IS
ACTUALLY CRUCIAL TO THE GROWING LABOR MARKET—FILLING 15% OF THE ENTRIES INTO THE FASTEST
GROWING OCCUPATIONS. OVERALL, THE OECD HAS FOUND THAT THE INFLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS NOT
GREATLY DISRUPTED ANY NATION'S GDP.
ISIL
• IN 2016, ACCORDING TO THE ITALIAN DAILY NEWSPAPER LA STAMPA, OFFICIALS FROM EUROPOL
CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE TRAFFICKING OF FAKE DOCUMENTS FOR ISIL. THEY IDENTIFIED
FAKE SYRIAN PASSPORTS IN THE REFUGEE CAMPS IN GREECE THAT WERE DESTINED TO SUPPOSED
MEMBERS OF ISIL, IN ORDER TO AVOID GREEK GOVERNMENT CONTROLS AND MAKE THEIR WAY TO OTHER
PARTS OF EUROPE. ALSO, THE CHIEF OF EUROPOL SAID THAT A NEW TASK FORCE OF 200 COUNTER-
TERRORISM OFFICERS WOULD BE DEPLOYED TO THE GREEK ISLANDS ALONGSIDE GREEK BORDER GUARDS
IN ORDER TO HELP GREECE STOP A "STRATEGIC" LEVEL CAMPAIGN BY ISIL TO INFILTRATE TERRORISTS
INTO EUROPE.
• IN FEBRUARY 2017, BRITISH NEWSPAPER THE GUARDIAN REPORTED THAT ISIL WAS
PAYING THE SMUGGLERS FEES OF UP TO $2,000 USD TO RECRUIT PEOPLE FROM
REFUGEE CAMPS IN JORDAN AND LEBANON CHILD MIGRANTS IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT
TO RADICALIZE CHILDREN FOR THE GROUP. THE REPORTS BY COUNTER-EXTREMISM
THINKTANK QUILLIAM INDICATE THAT AN ESTIMATED 88,300 UNACCOMPANIED
CHILDREN—WHO ARE REPORTED AS MISSING—WERE AT RISK OF RADICALIZATION BY
ISIL
STATISTICS
• ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM), UP TO 3,072 PEOPLE DIED OR
DISAPPEARED IN 2014 IN THE MEDITERRANEAN WHILE TRYING TO MIGRATE TO EUROPE.[91] OVERALL
ESTIMATES ARE THAT OVER 22,000 MIGRANTS DIED BETWEEN 2000 AND 2014.[92][93]
• IN 2014, 283,532 MIGRANTS IRREGULARLY ENTERED THE EUROPEAN UNION, MAINLY FOLLOWING THE
CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN AND WESTERN BALKAN ROUTES.[91][94][95]
220,194 MIGRANTS CROSSED EU SEA BORDERS IN THE CENTRAL, EASTERN AND WESTERN
MEDITERRANEAN (A 266% INCREASE COMPARED TO 2013). HALF OF THEM HAD COME FROM SYRIA,
ERITREA AND AFGHANISTAN
• OF THOSE ARRIVING IN SOUTHERN EUROPE IN 2014, THE VAST MAJORITY (170,664, A
277% INCREASE COMPARED TO 2013) ARRIVED IN ITALY THROUGH LIBYA, WHEREAS A
MINORITY (50,834, A 105% INCREASE) ARRIVED IN GREECE THROUGH TURKEY.[96]
62,000 APPLIED FOR ASYLUM IN ITALY, BUT MOST SYRIANS AND ERITREANS, WHO
COMPRISED ALMOST HALF OF THE ARRIVALS IN ITALY IN 2014, DID NOT STOP IN ITALY,
BUT CONTINUED THEIR JOURNEY TOWARDS NORTHERN EUROPE, GERMANY AND
SWEDEN IN PARTICULAR
2015
• IN 2015, A SHIFT TOOK PLACE, WITH GREECE OVERTAKING ITALY AS THE PRIMARY
POINT OF ARRIVAL AND SURPASSING IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2015 THE NUMBERS
FOR THE WHOLE OF 2014: 67,500 PEOPLE ARRIVED IN ITALY, MAINLY COMING FROM
ERITREA (25%), NIGERIA (10%) AND SOMALIA (10%), WHEREAS 68,000 ARRIVED ON
THE ISLANDS OF GREECE, MAINLY COMING FROM SYRIA (57%) AND AFGHANISTAN
(22%).[98] IN TOTAL, 137,000 MIGRANTS CROSSED THE MEDITERRANEAN INTO EUROPE
IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2015
• AS OF 17 APRIL 2015, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MIGRANTS REACHING THE ITALIAN
COASTS WAS 21,191 SINCE 1 JANUARY 2015, WITH A DECREASE DURING THE MONTH OF
MARCH DUE TO BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND A SURGE SINCE 10 APRIL, BRINGING
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ARRIVALS IN LINE WITH THE NUMBER RECORDED IN THE SAME
PERIOD IN 2014. HOWEVER, THE DEATH TOLL IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 2014 WAS
96, COMPARED WITH 500 IN THE SAME PERIOD IN 2015; THIS NUMBER EXCLUDED THE
VICTIMS OF THE SHIPWRECKS ON 13 AND 19 APRIL
• IN EARLY AUGUST 2015, THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
SAID THAT 250,000 MIGRANTS HAD ARRIVED IN EUROPE BY SEA SO FAR IN 2015,
124,000 IN GREECE AND 98,000 IN ITALY.[104] ACCORDING TO FRONTEX, JULY SET A
NEW RECORD FOR A SINGLE MONTH, WITH 107,500 MIGRANTS ESTIMATED TO HAVE
ENTERED THE EU.[105] FRONTEX DETECTED 615,492 IRREGULAR ENTRIES INTO THE EU
IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2015 AND 978,338 ENTRIES IN THE FOURTH QUARTER,[106]
BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DETECTIONS OF IRREGULAR ENTRIES AT EU SEA AND
LAND EXTERNAL BORDERS IN 2015 TO 1.82 MILLION (872,938 IN GREECE, 764,038 IN
HUNGARY AND CROATIA AND 153,946 IN ITALY), ASSOCIATED WITH AN ESTIMATED ONE
MILLION INDIVIDUALS IRREGULARLY ENTERING THE EU (BECAUSE MOST MIGRANTS
FOLLOWING THE WESTERN BALKAN ROUTE WERE DOUBLE-COUNTED WHEN ARRIVING IN
GREECE AND THEN WHEN ENTERING THE EU FOR THE SECOND TIME THROUGH HUNGARY
OR CROATIA).
• ACCORDING TO IOM AND UNHCR ESTIMATES, AROUND ONE MILLION MIGRANTS AND
REFUGEES ARRIVED IN EUROPE TILL 21 DECEMBER 2015, THREE TO FOUR TIMES MORE
THAN IN 2014.[108] JUST 3% (34,215) CAME BY LAND TO BULGARIA AND GREECE; THE
REST CAME BY SEA TO GREECE, ITALY, SPAIN, CYPRUS AND MALTA. THE VAST MAJORITY
ARRIVED BY SEA IN GREECE (816,752); 150,317 ARRIVED BY SEA IN ITALY, WITH A
SLIGHT DROP FROM 170,000 IN 2014. HALF OF THOSE CROSSING THE MEDITERRANEAN
WERE FROM SYRIA, 20% WERE FROM AFGHANISTAN AND 7% FROM IRAQ. IOM
ESTIMATED THAT A TOTAL OF 3,692 MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN IN 2015 – OVER 400 MORE THAN IN 2014 – OF WHOM 2,889 IN THE
CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN AND 731 IN THE AEGEAN SEA.
• IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2016, OVER 123,000 MIGRANTS LANDED IN GREECE,
COMPARED TO ABOUT 4,600 IN THE SAME PERIOD OF 2015.[112] IN MARCH,
FOLLOWING THE CLOSING OF THE WESTERN BALKAN ROUTE BY NORTH MACEDONIA AND
THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE EU–TURKEY DEAL ON 20 MARCH, THE NUMBER OF
MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN GREECE DROPPED TO 26,460, LESS THAN HALF THE FIGURE
RECORDED IN FEBRUARY. SYRIANS, AFGHANS AND IRAQIS CONTINUED TO ACCOUNT
FOR THE LARGEST SHARE OF THE MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN GREECE.[113] THIS
DOWNWARD TREND CONTINUED IN APRIL, WHEN ONLY 2,700 MIGRANTS ARRIVED IN
GREECE, DECREASING BY 90% COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS MONTH
• MEANWHILE, DUE TO IMPROVED WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE NUMBER OF MAINLY
AFRICAN MIGRANTS CROSSING THE SEA TO ITALY DOUBLED BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND
MARCH, REACHING NEARLY 9,600 IN MARCH 2016, COMPARED TO 2,283 IN MARCH
2015.[115][113] IN APRIL, ON THE CONTRARY, THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN
ITALY (8,370) DROPPED BY 13% COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS MONTH AND BY 50%
COMPARED TO THE SAME MONTH IN 2015; DESPITE THIS, ITALY EXCEEDED THE TOTALS
FOR GREECE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE JUNE 2015.[114] ON 16 APRIL, A SHIPWRECK OF
A LARGE BOAT BETWEEN LIBYA AND ITALY WAS REPORTED, IN WHICH AS MANY AS 500
PEOPLE MAY HAVE DIED, IN ONE OF THE WORST DISASTERS SINCE APRIL 2015.[116]
MORE THAN 66,000 MOSTLY AFRICAN MIGRANTS HAVE ARRIVED IN ITALY SINCE THE
START OF 2016.
• THE MASS INFLUX OF MIGRANTS INTO EUROPE WAS NOT SEEN FAVORABLY IN MANY EUROPEAN UNION
COUNTRIES. MANY CITIZENS DISAPPROVED OF THE EU'S HANDLING OF THE MIGRANT CRISIS, WITH 94%
OF GREEKS AND 88% OF SWEDES DISAPPROVING OF THE MEASURES TAKEN, AMONG OTHER COUNTRIES
WITH SIMILAR DISAPPROVAL RATES.[118] THIS CONTRIBUTED TO THE CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE EU–TURKEY REFUGEE AGREEMENT, WHICH WAS SIGNED IN MARCH 2016. FROM THAT POINT ON,
THE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES ENTERING GREECE DECREASED. IN FEBRUARY 2016, THE LAST FULL MONTH
BEFORE THE DEAL, 57,066 MIGRANTS ARRIVED IN GREECE VIA THE SEA; FROM THAT POINT ON,
DISCOUNTING MARCH, THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF MIGRANTS REACHING GREECE VIA THE SEA WAS 3,650
• (INAPRIL).[119] WHILE THERE IS NO DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU–TURKEY DEAL, THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS
ARRIVING IN ITALY IN THAT SAME TIME PERIOD HAS INCREASED. FROM
MARCH 2016 TO OCTOBER 2016, 140,358 MIGRANTS HAVE ARRIVED IN
ITALY VIA THE SEA, WHICH AVERAGES OUT TO ROUGHLY 20,051 MIGRANTS
PER MONTH.[120] OVERALL THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS ARRIVING INTO
THE EU HAS DROPPED, BUT THE EU STILL IS CREATING AGENCIES AND
PLANS TO MITIGATE THE CRISIS. IN ADDITION TO THE EU–TURKEY REFUGEE
AGREEMENT, THE EUROPEAN BORDER AND COAST GUARD AGENCY WAS
LAUNCHED ON 6 OCTOBER 2016
• DATA RELEASED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF MIGRATION (IOM) FOR THE
THIRD QUARTER OF 2017 RECORDED 146,287 TOTAL ARRIVALS TO EUROPE, OF WHICH
137,771 WERE BY SEA. THIS IS LESS THAN HALF THE TOTAL RECORDED BY THE END OF
SEPTEMBER 2016. THE GREATEST DECREASE IN INFLUX WAS NOTED ON THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE. DESPITE AN 86% DROP IN THE NUMBER OF MIGRANT AND
REFUGEE ARRIVALS IN SEPTEMBER 2017 WHEN COMPARED TO SEPTEMBER 2016,
GREECE HAS OBSERVED A STEADY INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS FROM
SEPTEMBER 2016 TILL DATE. FURTHER, WHILE ITALY ALSO NOTED LOWER NUMBER OF
MIGRANT ARRIVAL IN 2017, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN THE NUMBER OF
MIGRANTS REACHING SPAIN, WITH OVER 16,000 HAVING ARRIVED IN THE COUNTRY.
LIKE SPAIN, THE ISLAND-NATION OF CYPRUS REGISTERED APPROXIMATELY AN 8-FOLD
INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS ARRIVING LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR.[1
• CLOSURE OF SEGMENTS OF CERTAIN HEAVY-TRAFFIC ROUTES SUCH AS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MARKED DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS FROM THE
MIDDLE EAST IN 2017. HOWEVER, THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE IS STILL IN FULL USE TO
FACILITATE THE GROWING NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM AFRICA. NIGERIANS TOPPED THE LIST
OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INTO ITALY IN 2017, FORMING 16% OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ARRIVALS
THERE.[122]
• IN FEBRUARY 2017 ITALIAN GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED TO FUND LIBYAN COASTGUARD. SINCE THEN MANY
MIGRANTS WERE FORCED TO GO BACK TO LIBYA.
• ON 7 OCTOBER, 2018 AT LEAST 10 MIGRANTS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED
IN A BOAT OFF THE COAST OF MOROCCO.[124] HELENA MALENO FOUNDER OF
THE GROUP WALKING BORDERS TOLD THE REPORTERS THE MIGRANTS
CONSTANTLY APPEALED FOR HELP FROM SPAIN AND MOROCCO BEFORE
THEY DIED