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EU to Drastically Change Its Policy on Migration

Migrants disembark from rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 as they arrive at the port of Catania, Italy, January 31, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)
Migrants disembark from rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 as they arrive at the port of Catania, Italy, January 31, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)
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EU to Drastically Change Its Policy on Migration

Migrants disembark from rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 as they arrive at the port of Catania, Italy, January 31, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)
Migrants disembark from rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 as they arrive at the port of Catania, Italy, January 31, 2019. (File Photo: Reuters)

The exact number of migrants who have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea is still unknown ever since they have been flocking on rubber or wooden boats to European shores to escape misery, violence, and persecution in their homelands.

International agencies, such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimate the number to be more than 60,000 migrants.

However, concerned European governments say they do not have accurate figures and usually refer to reports of rescue missions, which reduce this number to 40,000. Non-governmental organizations believe the number to be around 100,000 or even more.

The lack of accurate information on the numbers of migrants who drown as they try to cross the Mediterranean or embark on a difficult migration journey to Europe reflects the decline of human empathy among European societies, according to a report issued by European Commission's Center for Social Research.

The center will use the report for the discussion and development of Europe’s migration policy for the next five years.

The way things appear do not reflect the real situation of the migration crisis that may implode at any moment, warned the report.

One of the striking conclusions of the report is that recent election results in Europe showed that most EU citizens became more concerned with basic rights and showed a greater interest in humanitarian policy approach to the migration crisis.

The report strongly criticizes the EU's refugee agreement with Turkey in 2016 and considers its provisions “a clear violation of human rights.”

It also criticizes the bilateral cooperation agreements between some European countries, especially Italy with Libya, to prevent the flow of migrants across their coasts and send them to detention centers that frequently violate basic human rights.

The report noted that criminalizing the work of non-governmental organizations and rescue missions at sea violates the principles and values on which the European Union was founded.

The report concluded with a number of recommendations such as calling on the EU to lead efforts to develop an international policy to address the migration crisis, unite or coordinate national migration policies, and support local initiatives such as programs to integrate immigrants into European societies.

It also called for restoring political influence in African countries, where the EU finances development projects, in order to impose standards of respect for human rights, and exert greater efforts to address the Libyan crisis.

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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong process to start new lives in America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel.

President Donald Trump paused the refugee resettlement program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the US and had flights booked before the Jan. 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that "refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice."

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by upcoming deadline.

Among those are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the US as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the US. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

"The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. "We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let’s honor our promises and uphold America’s values."

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa program— specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the US government. VanDiver's group said that program, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and traveling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

The State Department referred questions to the White House.

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in America have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure before setting foot in America.

"This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 US resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States," she said. "It’s utterly heartbreaking."

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the US-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the US to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted resettlement and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter the country annually.