Migratory borders between France and Italy: racist controls, irregularities and returns
- Nearly 94,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of 2023. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, 13,300 people have been returned or detained at the border, about 80 people a day. Several experts report irregularities and “racist controls” in immigration policies.
A total of 94,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of 2023, most of them from the Mediterranean. However, many decide for different reasons, such as language, not to stay in it and try to go to other countries. Ventimiglia (Italy), one of the countries bordering the French State, and Mécos Sin Fronteras (MSF), has denounced “discriminatory” conduct.
According to data published by the French Public Prosecutor’s Office, between January and June 2023, 13,300 people have been returned or detained, about 80 people a day, 30% more than the previous year.
Migrants are often put into goods containers: they are held in the afternoon, they spend the night there and driven out the next day.
Italian spokeswoman Medicos Sin Fronteras, Silvia Mancini, interviewed by El Diario, explains that Ventimiglia is a country full of people and a lot of movement. It clarifies that "stops" often occur. The MSF mobile hospital has treated 320 people between February and June, 215 of whom have been seriously ill.
Irregularities
Mancini complains that irregularities are occurring in the French State, such as the lack of translators and intermediaries. Consequently, the lack of communication between migrants and agents is highlighted. “Migrants don’t know why they are returned, and agents don’t know what migrants say,” he adds.
In addition, it has denounced the use of techniques to avoid international treaties, such as saying that minors are older, allowing them to have fewer protective measures.
Returns
Silvia Mancini explains that migrants systematically return to their places of origin. It says that the situation of each person is “ignored” and that, therefore, “international protection is violated”.
“They translate pregnant women, older adults, minors and minors without parents, although international treaties state otherwise.”
The situation in France is similar: “They translate pregnant women, older adults, minors and minors without parents, although international treaties state otherwise.”
In addition, migrants are often introduced into the goods containers, who use them to keep them for a few hours: they hold them in the afternoon, spend the night there and drive them out the next day.
Racist treatment
France made some changes to its immigration policy in 2015, following the attack that caused 130 deaths in November. After a few years, attorney Anna Branbilla states that nowadays border control is carried out systematically, something that we can also see daily in Euskal Herria on the Bidasoa border and in other steps.
However, it explains that these systematic measures are absolutely discriminatory: “Border control depends on ethnicity, that is, if a racialized person crosses borders the police automatically stops them.”
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