EU leaders are looking at ways to strengthen the bloc's external borders. The meeting comes after the far-right made gains in the European Parliament and also in various elections in Germany and Austria.
Deportation guidelines focused on speeding up expulsions of failed asylum seekers and outsourcing asylum procedures to third countries are expected to dominate discussions as European Union (EU) leaders convene in Brussels today. Spain though is one of the few countries that appears to seek different solutions.
Senegal might be Africa's fourth largest economy but it's also experiencing political and economic instability, which has led to an increase in emigration. As part of a series of measures, the EU has announced a 30 million euros funding package to help it combat migration.
A new investigation details instances of severe human rights abuses at Turkish migrant detention centers — including alleged coercion into signing "voluntary" deportation papers.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has expressed concern that conflict in the Middle East could lead to additional migration into the bloc. Ahead of a key EU summit later in the week, she stressed that migration movements borne out of conflicts needed to be managed better across the bloc.
Duaa Al Qatta, a young mother of three, shares her journey of survival, fleeing the bombings in Homs, Syria, and seeking refuge in neighboring Lebanon. She was then detained and abandoned in Libya before being rescued at sea.
Nour, a mother from Syria, shared her story with InfoMigrants while aboard the Geo Barents rescue ship. Over the course of seven months in Libya, she, her young son, and her blind aunt were subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment. At the infamous Abu Salim prison, they were forced to drink sewage water. The family attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea five times.
Amina, a young Kurdish woman from Kobani, shared her story with InfoMigrants aboard the Geo Barents rescue ship. In Libya, she said she and other migrant women suffered humiliation, deprivation and harassment, including having their clothes stripped off by Libyan authorities.
Dilba, a 31-year-old Kurdish mother from the Syrian city of Kobani, shared her story with InfoMigrants aboard the Geo Barents rescue ship. She and her three children endured nine months of suffering in Libya and then nearly lost their lives at sea. They currently live in refugee accommodation in Germany, while Dilba's husband remains in Syria, hoping to apply for family reunification.
InfoMigrants spoke with Syrian women aboard the Geo Barents search and rescue ship in the Central Mediterranean. Fleeing their homeland in search of a better future for their children, the women shared stories of the deprivation, extortion, and abuse they suffered throughout their journeys.
The government of Hungary has sent a letter to the European Commission, demanding the possibility to withdraw from EU asylum rules. This comes ahead of a divisive visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Brussels.
The EU Commission is facing increased pressure to tighten rules for asylum seekers. 17 European countries have written a letter to Brussels demanding a harsher course.