[R-G] EU Nations Agree New Rules on Expelling Illegal Immigrants

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=120757>
EU nations agree new rules on expelling illegal immigrants

Agence France-Presse

LUXEMBOURG - European Union nations approved Thursday tough new rules
on expelling visa-overstayers which could see them banned for five
years if they resist, the EU's Slovenian presidency announced.

The agreement was sealed by the 27 EU interior ministers at a meeting
in Luxembourg, the presidency said, and is expected to be passed by
the European Parliament at its session in Strasbourg between June 16
and 19.

The new measures will oblige authorities in EU nations to choose
between issuing residency or other permits to illegal immigrants from
outside the bloc or returning them to their countries of origin.

The measures will mainly target people whom Europeans rarely suspect
are breaking the law: visa overstayers, estimated at some 12 million
people -- the biggest category of illegal immigrants in the 27 nation
bloc.

These illegals are often Filipinos, nationals from China and Ukraine
or Latin American and African states, however they can include US
citizens, people from Japan and others.

They enter Europe on a tourist visa, become reasonably well integrated
and work on the black market, perhaps as cleaners or child minders for
families, or in industry as laborers and restaurant staff.

The new rules will not focus on would-be asylum seekers who disembark
on the shores of Italy, France, Malta or Spain after dangerous sea
journeys from northern Africa.

Under the measures, an illegal immigrant has two options: "return"
home or face "removal".

Should he or she -- and these steps also involve children -- decline
both options and resist, the individual would be forced to leave and
face being banned from EU territory for five years.

As far as forced expulsions are concerned, authorities could decide to
keep individuals in custody for up to six months -- 18 months under
exceptional circumstances -- particularly if they are deemed likely to
run away.

This could also happen if their home countries are slow to provide documents.

<http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/080605-eu-immigrants-mc>
EU law triggers fears of treatment of immigrants

by Vanessa Mock in Brussels

05-06-2008

Human rights groups have cried foul at new rules agreed today to clamp
down on illegal immigrants in the European Union. EU ministers say the
'return directive' is necessary to set clear, standard rules on how to
deal with migrants who stay in a country beyond their visa period.

Under the legislation, those who refuse to go back to their country of
origin voluntarily could be forcefully removed and banned from coming
back to EU territory for five years. Most controversially, the new law
- which still has to be approved by the European Parliament - will
make it possible to detain an irregular migrant for up to 18 months, a
time-limit which exceeds current time lines in most EU states.

'Treated like criminals'

Bjarte Vandvik, Secretary General, European Council on Refugees and
Exiles (ECRE), says the extended detention period is tantamount to
treating migrants as criminals:

"We welcome a Directive but not at all costs. It's understandable to
detain someone for a short time while they await deportation but when
the time margin is so wide, it becomes punishment," he says. "We're
very worried that this could also include families and unaccompanied
minors."

The directive comes as governments in Italy and France have threatened
to introduce harsher measures to fight immigration.

"I worry that this law is there as a deterrent, as a message to those
who want to come here that they will be treated badly,"

says Mr Vandvik, adding that the number of migrants and refugees
coming to Europe reached its lowest-numbers in 2006.

Necessary legislation

But the criticism has been swept aside by many European politicians.
Dutch MEP Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert from the right-wing VVD party
says:"This is complete nonsense. There's no way that illegal migrants
will simply be thrown into jail."

She says the standard period of detention in the EU would be six
months, to be extended "under strict conditions" for a further 12
months only if necessary. In any case, only a tiny minority of
migrants - one per cent - would face long-term detention, she adds. "A
lot of these new rules are theoretical and will seldom have to be
applied, and it does not apply to legitimate asylum-seekers."

Ms Hennis-Plasschaert also rejects concerns, expressed by Amnesty
International, that a five-year ban on returning to Europe after
expulsion is inhumane as it does not take account of a possible change
of circumstance:

"Not everyone who's been thrown out of Europe will be banned from
coming back. I understand that migrants are in search of a better life
in Europe, but at the end of the day, they also have to realise that
they are breaking the law."

The directive has been delayed for months, most recently over demands
by the European Parliament that EU states should be forced to provide
immigrants with legal aid. Although a compromise on this has been
reached - member states are encouraged to offer legal aid - the vote
on 17 June is likely to be tight, with socialists politicians still
voicing concerns about the rights of immigrants.

What's been agreed

EU ambassadors have agreed common rules to tackle illegal immigration,
making it possible to detain irregular migrants for up to 18 months.

The rules will not cover asylum-seekers, but all those who overstay
their visa period will be affected.

It will be up to EU member states' governments to decide whether to
deport the immigrants or regularise them. But in most cases they will
be given two options - to return home voluntarily or face deportation.

According to European Commission estimates, there are currently up to
8 million illegal immigrants living in the EU.
-- 
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>