Europe’s Deadly Borders: An Inside Look at EU’s Shameful Immigration Policy

European nations fiercely protect their borders, and Frontex is the continent’s border agency. “But now the civil war in Syria is creating millions of new refugees, and the next exodus is beginning in Iraq, as the terrorist group Islamic State continues to make inroads into the country,” writes Maximilian Popp for Spiegel Online. Popp notes that EU policies have not changed since the tragic 2013 Lampedusa tragedy, with the death of more than 380 migrants, and his article was published before reports emerged of two other tragedies: Smugglers reportedly rammed a vessel, killing more than 500 migrants; another 250 migrants perished fleeing Libya. Europe anticipates hundreds of thousands of more refugees from conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. “There is virtually no legal path to Europe for refugees,” Popp writes about Syrians, Iraqis, Palestinians and Africans. “Those wishing to apply for asylum in the EU must arrive illegally first – on smugglers' boats, hidden in minibuses or traveling with forged passports on commercial flights.” By now, the risks in the home countries and the journeys are well known. – YaleGlobal