The policy of migrant returns between EU countries is complex and creates "blurred lines," an expert in EU law and migration has told InfoMigrants. In the light of two recent cases of returns from Austria to Hungary, we decided to take a closer look at the subject.
116 refugees who had been living in Greek camps flew into the German city of Hanover on Wednesday, February 17. The group was composed of 53 adults and 63 children.
Heavy snow falls, storms, hail, floods and strong winds have raged across Greece in the last few days. The weather has caused power outages and so far three people have died. Concerns are growing for migrants living outside in camps, with some in Athens transferred temporarily to shelter from the cold.
Mother Mechthild, the German nun who offers church asylum to migrants in the German state of Bavaria, is about to go on trial, for doing just that. She spoke to a local newspaper on Monday, Mittelbayerische Zeitung, about her work.
The Greek migration minister Notis Mitarakis has once again denied claims that Greece is pushing migrants back to Turkey. He called the allegations "fake news," and said the claims were part of a strategy propagated by Turkey.
It was a busy weekend in the central Mediterranean. The Spanish rescue organization Open Arms said that it had picked up 146 migrants in two separate rescue operations. Meanwhile, the Tunisian navy said that it had picked up 25 from a shipwreck, with one person confirmed dead and about 22 missing.
The deportees landed in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, February 9. They departed the German city Munich earlier that day.
Sicilian authorities have now reported 49 positive COVID-19 tests from the group of 422 migrants who disembarked the Ocean Viking on Monday and Tuesday this week.
The UK government has announced that undocumented migrants can register with their doctors for a vaccine against COVID-19 without fear of being ejected by the Home Office.
36 migrants on two separate boats were found in difficulty in the Channel between France and Britain at the weekend. They were taken back to France by a coastguard patrol boat who declared the migrants "safe and sound."
Migrants and crew onboard the Ocean Viking celebrated on Sunday after they were told the ship's 422 passengers could disembark in the port of Augusta in Sicily. Disembarkation was expected to start on Monday.
The humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranee said on Thursday that its crew had rescued 121 people, among them 19 women and two small children, from an overcrowded rubber boat off Libya. Another 140 migrants were returned to Libya by coast guards on Wednesday.