According to a leaked document, the European Union border agency Frontex deported a record number of people in the first half of this year. The document raised concerns about being deported to countries that may face war or persecution.
Frontex stated in a report to the Council of Ministers of the European Union that it expelled 8,239 non-EU nationals in the first six months of 2021, a record high and an increase of 9% over the same period in 2019.
EU member states continue to implement their own deportations, but the increase in Frontex’s business shows that member states are increasingly seeking help from EU institutions to manage immigration, from deportation to Border Patrol.
Civil Liberties NGO Country Watch Released a leaked report, Arguing that Frontex does not support “unsure” Suppress, About sending people back to their home countries to face repression or war.
A Frontex spokesperson stated that the decision to return products is always made by EU member states in accordance with EU law.
People deprived of their right to asylum can return to their home country, despite the government’s efforts to enforce deportation. In 2019, 491,200 people were ordered to leave the European Union, but only 29% returned to their countries of origin.
The European Commission aims to Sign more return agreements with non-EU countries Because it seeks to increase the number of people who are denied asylum and return to their home countries.
The main nationalities of those ordered to leave the EU in 2020 are Algerians, Moroccans, Albanians, Ukrainians and Pakistanis.
According to the agency, 61% of people repatriated by Frontex chose to leave in the first half of this year, while 39% were forcibly repatriated. The overall percentage of forced return has declined, and Frontex attributed it to people’s refusal to undergo Covid-19 testing or vaccinations to thwart deportation orders.
According to EU law, people who are forced to return should be accompanied by a human rights monitor. However, in the first half of 2021, only 47% of Frontex-organized charter flights, 23% of national-organized flights, and 73% of joint-organized flights were equipped with “forced return monitors.” Overall, the number of surveillance personnel on all return flights has decreased by 7% compared to the same period in 2020, and the agency blamed this on Covid travel restrictions.
Tineke Strik, a member of the Dutch Ministry of Environmental Protection, said the increase in the number of deportations has increased Worry, because Frontex stated that it has no obligation to verify that all steps of the asylum procedure have been followed. “Frontex seems to underestimate its responsibility to ensure that fundamental rights are respected,” she said.
She pointed to the nearest European Court of Justice ruling It was discovered that the Hungarian government violated EU law by restricting the right to asylum. “If the asylum process has many flaws, you don’t know if it is safe for this person to be deported,” she said.
The Dutch MEP is the most recent author Cross-party report The conclusion is that Frontex failed to protect the human rights of asylum seekers, nor was it able to appoint its full quota of legally required human rights monitors.
She said that EU member states also need to “strengthen their capabilities” to ensure that human rights monitors are always on deportation flights.
Frontex has become the core of EU immigration policy as 1.2 million people have fled to Europe Seek asylum in 2015. After the immigration crisis, EU leaders agreed to increase funding for Warsaw-based institutions and establish a strong European border and coast guard of 10,000 by 2027.
A Frontex spokesperson said: “Before Frontex organizes any return flights, the agency requires national authorities to confirm that their return decisions are issued in accordance with European law.
“Frontex is responsible for coordinating the return operations, but the decision on who should return is always made by the judicial or administrative authorities of the member states. According to European legislation, individuals can always appeal this repatriation decision. Frontex does not consider the return decisions issued by the member states The pros and cons.”
