European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced detailed steps to combat the crisis of illegal immigration at the EU border with Belarus.
Speak on Tuesday In the European Parliament, Von der Leyen said the EU Commission will provide humanitarian assistance to illegal immigrants in Belarus, facilitate their repatriation and allocate additional funds to improve border protection. She also proposed to create a watchlist for all groups and individuals involved in the transport of illegal immigrants to the EU border.
Von der Leyen described the surge of aliens trying to illegally cross the eastern border of the European Union with Belarus in an attempt by Alexander Lukashenko’s administration to destabilize the EU.
The Lukashenko administration’s strategy was to lure people to the border with the help of traffickers, smugglers and criminal networks, followed by block leaders in 27 countries.
“This is not a bilateral issue between Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus. The challenge is the EU as a whole.”
Von der Leyen and the EU Commission have proposed creating a watchlist for all tour operators and their agents who are involved in bringing illegal immigrants to the border. The watchlist includes travel agencies that carry migrants such as visas, flights, hotels, taxis and buses to the EU border.
This proposal needs to be adopted in the form of legislation by the European Parliament, and Von der Leyen urged lawmakers to adopt it as soon as possible.
She said the EU is coordinating its sanctions with the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
U.S. President Joe Biden (Reuters // Screenshot from the Era Times) at a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Reyen at the White House on November 10, 2021 in Washington.Von de Araien Meet with President Joe Biden In early November in Washington, they said they agreed that the crisis at the border between Belarus and the EU was “not an immigration crisis.”
“This is an attempt by the authoritarian regime to destabilize its democratic neighbors,” said Von der Leyen.
She explained that the Lukashenko administration was not recognized by the EU because it “conducted fraudulent elections and severely oppressed its own people.”
In addition to sanctions on travel operators, the EU is fighting illegal immigrants via Belarus in three other ways. Diplomatic support for the country of origin; border protection. The Commission has decided to allocate more money to these three initiatives.
Humanitarian assistance to Belarusian illegal immigrants attempting to invade the EU is provided by UN agencies, and the EU will fund humanitarian efforts in the field.
The EU Commission is in contact with the countries of origin of migrants and the airlines that transport migrants to Belarus. Their efforts have already been successful as several airlines and civil aviation authorities have stopped unjustified travel to Belarus and Iraq has begun the repatriation of stranded citizens in Belarus. The EU will also work with UN agencies to help trapped migrants return home.
Border Security Improvements
On November 8, 2021, migrants gather near the barbed wire fence in an attempt to cross the Polish border in the Grodno region of Belarus. (Distribution via Leonid Scheglov / BelTA / Reuters)Improving border security is also an important factor in combating the border crisis. The newly allocated $ 7.2 billion will be spent on electronic surveillance technology, patrol vehicles, border guard equipment, border crossing construction, satellite imagery, and critical infrastructure.
Polish border guards report that Polish authorities continue to arrest illegal border crossers. The intersection returns to the border.
According to Schengen visa information, Fabris Leggeri, head of the EU’s border control agency, predicted that the immigration crisis on the Belarus-Poland border would continue.
According to Schengen visa information, Regeri told AFP that people were unaware that immigrants could be manipulated against the European Union to achieve certain political goals.
Poland plans to build a wall on the border with Belarus from December to stop the influx of illegal immigrants. The country’s initiative is endorsed by 12 European countries, but EU member France opposes it.
Regeri supported Poland’s plan, saying that border barriers would reduce the number of illegal crossers.
In Europe, the Balkans, Hungary, Austria, the Baltic states, and the United Kingdom and Norway have several border walls.
According to the Associated Press, the Polish border guard has registered more than 34,000 attempts to trespass into Poland, including more than 17,000 in October and more than 6,000 in November this year.
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Ella Kietlinska is a reporter for The Epoch Times based in New York.