- Since 28 June, the French police had authorized the use of migrant control drones near the Bidasoa River. However, three migrant advocacy associations immediately appealed and the Pau Administrative Tribunal banned the use of the devices.
The French police will not be able to use drones to control migrants on the border between Gipuzkoa and Lapurdi, by decision of the Administrative Court of Pau. Since 28 June, the Prefect allowed the French police to use devices in an area of 22 square kilometres near the Bidasoa River. But the measure has been rejected by the court because, according to the judges, it is a "serious" and "clearly illegal" infringement of the right to privacy and to the living family.
Ilazki Ortego, a lawyer of the Association of Lawyers for the Defense of Migrants, explained in Kazeta that they decided to oppose the decision authorizing the use of drones because they consider it “violates human rights”. In addition, he stresses that the type of control is absolutely “racist”, as it is a control “based on the color of the skin”.
“The authorized area is very large and the police were able to record people’s lives,” he adds. In his view, the use of drones is spreading and the fact that the device intends to use them to control the limits indicates increased control.