Proceedings of the Migreurop Conference - Madrid 2019

Since the implementation of the “hotspot approach” by the European Union (EU) in 2015, Migreurop has been decoding its consequences on migrants’ rights in publications and throughout various international meetings (Calais 2015, Rabat 2016). Preventing exiles’ arrivals and criminalizing migration are the aim of this mechanism – which is not new – and it comes with an increase of violence and violations of migrants’ rights within a security policy framework. After five years, what is the situation (...)

More than ever, on 18 March 2020, at a time when a pandemic is spreading, attacking the most destitute and least protected populations, including migrants in the hotspots, at borders, or locked up in European detention centres, we forcefully express our total rejection of this cynical policy, which is nothing less than a war on migrants.
Four years ago, on 18 March 2016, as the "EU/Turkey" Statement was made public, the European Union (EU) and Turkey embarked on a "dirty deal". In exchange (...)

Over the past few days, people have been killed on the Greek-Turkish border! This situation is the direct consequence of political choices made by European leaders, willing to seal off the European Union’s borders by all means, especially by outsourcing the examination of asylum claims and the encampment of the “undesirable” to non-European states. Every day, unbearable footage shows exiles being turned away or deliberately put in danger.
The Greek police force and army, alongside some of (...)