No relocation for deportation, says Human Rights Without Borders 

Human Rights Without Borders has kicked against the practice of relocating distressed migrants in the guise of deportation. 

The body, in a post said :” Let the EU Ministers of Interior know that asylum is not depending on a person’s nationality. People cannot be relocated for deportation”

According to the  Human Rights Without Borders, the EU issued a new asylum package including massive deprivation of liberty, asylum fast-track procedures and illegal deportations to third countries. “This practice has been tested on the relocation of survivors of distress at sea.A FOIA request to the NL revealed how authorities “cherry-pick” persons rescued from distress at sea for relocation. Following: email by the NL Immigration and Naturalisation services (IND) on 11.1.19

“RE: list of persons for relocation from Malta […] We will send a message to Malta with 50/50 [half of the ppl eligible for asylum, half of them easily deportable] and only SW3 [people rescued by the Sea Watch 3]. I will go for 50% of Nigerians in favour of deportation”.

Mail by Maltese MOHA to IND, 16.1.19: “RE: list of persons for relocation from Malta […] Further to our correspondence yesterday, DE would not like to swap with the Nigerian cases but have proposed whether you would like to swap as follows:”

Cameroon with Guinea OR Cameroon with Saudi-Arabia. Let me know. Am waiting for a reply from another MSs”. Such preferences are often linked to political contexts and conditions like e.g. existing readmission agreements with respective states of origin. 

 Why is this a scandal? Relocation is introduced by the EU as a humanitarian measure to alleviate ‘migration pressure’ on the Med 5 countries (CY, GR, MT, ES & IT) amd a practice of “caring for vulnerable people and promoting their well-being”. 

 However, the reality is completely different: the FOIA request proves that member states do “cherry-pick” persons for relocation whom they consider to be easily deportable. NO DEPORTATION THROUGH RELOCATION! 

 TAKE ACTION! Let the EU Ministers of Interior know that asylum is not depending on a person’s nationality. People cannot be relocated for deportation! Take it to the streets and demand EU parliamentarians to defend the right to asylum. #NoToTheMigrationPact”