E.U. Steps Up Aid to Turkey, Gets Tough Over Migrant Returns
The E.U. has announced more money for Syrian refugees in Turkey. It has also proposed restricting visas for countries that don’t cooperate on returning migrants.
The $3.7 billion for Turkey is the second tranche under a two-year deal in which Ankara has limited the flow of refugees and migrants across the Aegean.
“Our cooperation with Turkey is key to address common challenges,” said the E.U.’s migration commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos. The comments were taken to mean that migration control was more important than other rifts between Ankara and the E.U.
“Unnecessary escalations can and should be avoided,” he said, referring to an incident that resulted in two Greek soldiers being held in detention in Turkey after straying across a sea border.
The European Commission said it would monitor how countries are cooperating on the return of their citizens from the E.U. and that they could face visa restrictions if deemed not to be taking enough of them. The E.U. said 15 million Schengen entry permits had been issued in 2016.
The bloc also said it was short of $1.24 billion for development projects in Africa that it has tied to efforts to reduce migration. Economists have warned that tying development to migration goals is unlikely to work as growth will raise migration in the short to medium term.
U.S. Immigration Spokesman Resigns in Protest at Trump Administration ‘Lies’
A U.S. immigration spokesman has resigned, saying he could no longer lie for the Trump administration.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) James Schwab quit, saying he could not “bear the burden” of spreading falsehoods. The San Francisco office spokesman said his decision was prompted by “false statements” from Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week.
The statements were part of a row with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf over her decision to warn people about ICE raids. The warning was criticized by federal officials, who said it had allowed 864 “criminals and aliens” to evade capture.
Schwab said in interviews with U.S. media that he had been upset by the remarks and had quit “because I didn’t want to perpetuate misleading facts.”
He told the San Francisco Chronicle, “I asked them to change the information,” referring to the 864 people to whom the statement alluded, adding, “I told them that the information was wrong, they asked me to deflect, and I didn’t agree with that. Then I took some time and I quit.”
Pregnant Women and Children Evacuated During Fighting at Lesbos Camp
Clashes at Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos led to women and children being evacuated. At least 11 asylum seekers needed treatment for injuries, a medical charity said.
Local news reported that the protests followed an attempted suicide by a Syrian man on March 12. People set fire to garbage bins and riot police moved in firing tear gas.
Moria, which has seen regular protests over living conditions, hosts 5,000 people – more than twice its capacity.
“Our team treated eleven people, among them small babies and pregnant women after clashes between #refugees and #Greek police,” MSF said on Twitter. “The situation is calmer, but #Moria continues to be an awful place to live.”
Recommended Reads:
- Al Jazeera: Hungary Sentences Refugee to Seven Years for ‘Terror’
- The Washington Post: Syrian Military Pushes for Victory in Ghouta, Defying International Outcry
- Wired: How Refugees Are Helping Create Blockchain’s Brand-New World
- Reuters: ‘I Have Nothing,’ Cries Syrian Child Bride as Poverty Drives More Refugee Girls to Wed