Theresa May, UK Home Secretary, is backing a plan to deport more than four thousand failed asylum seekers from Europe within weeks, according to a report. Among the affected are going to be refugees from Libya, Afghanistan and Syria. Their refugee status will be rejected and they will then be deported if this move is implemented.
This was learned through a new diplomatic document leak recently. It further states that the Tory politician has already signaled her support for a Brussels initiative to return the migrants who have surged into mainland EU countries in recent months back to Africa.
May hopes to clear the migrant camps at Calais with this move. The plan has already been discussed with other EU interior ministers. Member states have been asked to issue return decisions, take all necessary steps to enforce them and provide adequate resources, necessary for identifying and returning illegally staying third-country nationals. Failed asylum seekers are going to be detained to prevent them from absconding. This is very important, because according to statistics, up to 60% of all failed asylum seekers abscond before they can be deported. The leaders hope that this action will prove as a strong enough deterrent.
EU leaders are also thinking of setting up a special unit of the border agency Frontex to oversee deportations. A dedicated return office within Frontex will enable it to scale-up support to facilitate, organize and fund return operations.
EU nations that don’t enforce internationally agreed refugee rules by deporting “irregular migrants” will face legal action and fines from the European Commission.
Brussels will also threaten to withdraw aid, trade deals and visa arrangements from African countries refusing to take back economic migrants under the plan.
However, Britain as of now is not a member of this deportation plan because the country is not part of the border-check free Schengen zone. EU nation states have been asked to put pressure on African countries like Burkina Faso, Congo, Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Niger to accept all retuned migrants.
