European Commission unveils new plans to repel migrants

Jerome Hughes
PressTV, Brussels

It's envisaged EU leaders and the European Parliament will almost certainly rubber-stamp new anti-immigrant proposals put forward by the European Commission on Tuesday.

Any airline or ferry company deemed by the EU to be carrying illegal immigrants destined for the bloc will be placed on a blacklist. The commission accuses Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of bringing migrants to EU borders in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Minsk.

The European Commission is giving €200 m to EU countries Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia for border controls. Poland is already accused of human rights abuses against migrants. Between 10,000 and 15,000 migrants are still in Belarus. The EU is spending a total of €3.5 m to facilitate their deportation.

It has never been harder for genuine refugees to reach the European Union. Under international law, they are entitled to seek asylum here. Most of them are in countries ravaged by Western war machines.

EU leaders will hold a summit at the European Council in just under a month's time from now and the refugee crisis will be high on the agenda. Rights groups are pleading with them to switch the focus from border protection to people protection.

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