Mass expulsions ahead for Europe as migrant crisis grows

[webfact]

Mass expulsions ahead for Europe as migrant crisis grows
By KARL RITTER

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Dazzled by an unprecedented wave of migration, Sweden on Thursday put into words an uncomfortable reality for Europe: If the continent isn't going to welcome more than 1 million people a year, it will have to deport large numbers of them to countries plagued by social unrest and abject poverty.

Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said Sweden could send back 60,000-80,000 asylum seekers in the coming years. Even in a country with a long history of immigration, that would be a scale of expulsions unseen before.

"The first step is to ensure voluntary returns," Ygeman told Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri. "But if we don't succeed, we need to have returns by coercion."

The coercive part is where it gets uncomfortable. Packing unwilling migrants, even entire families, onto chartered airplanes bound for the Balkans, the Middle East or Africa evokes images that clash with Europe's humanitarian ideals.

But the sharp rise of people seeking asylum in Europe last year almost certainly will also lead to much higher numbers of rejections and deportations.

European Union officials have urged member countries to quickly send back those who don't qualify for asylum so that Europe's welcome can be focused on those who do, such as people fleeing the war in Syria.

"People who do not have a right to stay in the European Union need to be returned home," said Natasha Bertaud, a spokeswoman for the EU's executive Commission.

"This is a matter of credibility that we do return these people, because you don't want to give the impression of course that Europe is an open door," she said.

EU statistics show most of those rejected come from the Balkans including Albania and Kosovo, some of Europe's poorest countries. Many applicants running away from poverty in West Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh also are turned away. Even people from unstable countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia can't count on getting asylum unless they can prove they, personally, face grave risks at home.

Frans Timmermans, the Commission's vice president, told Dutch TV station NOS this week that the majority of people seeking asylum in Europe are not refugees.

"More than half, 60 percent, should have to return much more quickly. If we start with doing that, it would already make a huge difference," he said.

Sending them back is easier said than done. In 2014, EU nations returned less than 40 percent of the people who were ordered to be deported.

Sometimes those seeking asylum go into hiding after receiving a negative decision. Sometimes their native country doesn't want them back.

EU countries, including Sweden and Germany, have had some success sending people back to the Balkans on chartered flights. Of the 37,000 who returned from Germany on their own accord last year, all but about 5,000 were from the Balkans.

"It's been more difficult with Iraq and Afghanistan," said Mikael Ribbenvik, director of operations at the Swedish Migration Agency. "The returns have worked during some periods, and not so well during others."

One of the biggest obstacles to sending people back is to obtain travel documents from their home countries. People routinely lose or even destroy their travel papers coming to Europe, creating confusion about where they are from.

"Most countries in the world don't accept someone if cannot be proved that it's one of their citizens," Ribbenvik said.

Sweden has urged the EU and its Frontex border agency to help establish return agreements with the countries of origin.

Frontex's budget for deporting people was significantly increased this year, allowing it to coordinate more flights and help countries prepare their own.

Under U.N. rules, countries are supposed to offer protection to refugees fleeing war and persecution. But some European countries also offer protection to people deemed at risk of torture or the death penalty or who are suffering from an exceptionally serious disease.

"Obviously, there is currently a very heated debate in Europe on this issue," said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general. "Our message continues to be the same — that refugees and migrants need to be treated with compassion, dignity and with full respect of their rights for those who are refugees."

Even for those who get a negative decision within months, it can take years before all appeals are exhausted and they are ordered to leave.

Jawad Aref Hashemi, a 43-year-old Afghan who lived in Iran before traveling to Denmark to seek asylum, suggested he won't accept no for an answer.

"If people are sent home, they will protest. How will they send us home? In big cars? We are not animals," he said.

Abdi Xuseen, a 28-year-old Somali who also sought asylum in Denmark, said "people will hide" or go on hunger strikes if they are forced to leave Europe.

Statistics from the Swedish Migration Agency show 127,000 people have been ordered to leave the country since 2010. About 60,000 did so voluntarily, while 26,000 were deported with coercion and 40,000 absconded.

Authorities have little information on the latter group. Some are believed to have left the country, while others remain in Sweden illegally, at risk of being exploited in a black market economy.

"There has to be noticeable consequences for companies that use illegal labor," Ygeman told Dagens Industri. "If there's a decent illegal labor market the incentive to stay in Sweden will be strong."

More than 160,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden last year, the highest number in Europe relative to population size. Ygeman's estimate that 60,000-80,000 of them will have to leave was based on the current rejection rate of about 45 percent.

Meanwhile, the stream of migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe continues.

Greece's coast guard said 25 people died, including 10 children, when a migrant boat sank Thursday off Samos, an island near the Turkish coast.

Romanian rescuers dropped off 119 African migrants in Italy after recusing them from an inflatable dingy. The migrants were dehydrated and showed signs of hypothermia, the Romanian border police said.
___

Associated Press writers Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, David Rising in Berlin, Lorne Cooke in Brussels and Cara Anna in New York contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-01-29

[shirtless]

They should be returned to their country of origin as they will only ruin Europe in the long term.

[mopar71]

"One of the biggest obstacles to sending people back is to obtain travel documents from their home countries. People routinely lose or even destroy their travel papers coming to Europe, creating confusion about where they are from.

"Most countries in the world don't accept someone if cannot be proved that it's one of their citizens," Ribbenvik said."

Sounds fair. Yet European countries are expected to welcome those very same people.

I wonder if foreigners in Thailand can just destroy their documents and stay in Thailand indefinitely at the taxpayers' expense? Or if Americans in the EU did the same would they be allowed to stay? Rhetorical questions.

[Dustdevil]

Quick, fellas, you still have time to organize Sharia Patrols and mass rapes.

[NeverSure]

"Inclusiveness". The liberal progressive code word for white extermination.

Cheers.

[mrwebb8825]

It's nice that the U.N. decided that even though you have poor, homeless, jobless, diseased people in your OWN country, you must take in people from other countries and milk the working class to give them a free ride without helping your own countrymen first.

It's a strange, strange world.

ETA: It's even stranger that these very same countries make it nearly impossible for their own citizens to get help but roll out the red carpet for others.

Edited January 29, 2016 by mrwebb8825

[meltingpot2015]

migrants have already ruined europe.....america, and australia.

[NumbNut]

migrants have already ruined europe.....america, and australia.

They sure have... ask the aboriginals.

[BookMan]

migrants have already ruined europe.....america, and australia.

They sure have... ask the aboriginals.

Australia never got the cream of the crop... Started with petty criminals who had no choice and Militia who were paid wages in Rum...A few anti-Chinese laws kept Australia white, while later, post WW2 Australia had to pay low class Brits and Europeans to come and live in Australia

All changed now of course... Australia have tapped into a rich vein of Asian economic migrants who pay tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to come live here... Quite the money spinner

Well educated, well connected and plenty of money, Little surprise a number of old time Australians are not too keen

Europe should learn to do the same. have the rich Asians pay for the privelege of citizenship

[meltingpot2015]

migrants have already ruined europe.....america, and australia.

They sure have... ask the aboriginals.

Australia never got the cream of the crop... Started with petty criminals who had no choice and Militia who were paid wages in Rum...A few anti-Chinese laws kept Australia white, while later, post WW2 Australia had to pay low class Brits and Europeans to come and live in Australia

All changed now of course... Australia have tapped into a rich vein of Asian economic migrants who pay tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to come live here... Quite the money spinner

Well educated, well connected and plenty of money, Little surprise a number of old time Australians are not too keen

Europe should learn to do the same. have the rich Asians pay for the privelege of citizenship

Money spinner?...more like newsreel spinner.

The last time I heard this Europe should learn from Australia was when the former PM, Mr Tony Abbott was ranting and raving about it. Look where he is now.

[BookMan]

Money spinner?...more like newsreel spinner.

The last time I heard this Europe should learn from Australia was when the former PM, Mr Tony Abbott was ranting and raving about it. Look where he is now.

It won him an election

Difficult for a lot of Europe to 'Stop the Boats' though

[RuamRudy]

It's nice that the U.N. decided that even though you have poor, homeless, jobless, diseased people in your OWN country, you must take in people from other countries and milk the working class to give them a free ride without helping your own countrymen first.

It's a strange, strange world.

ETA: It's even stranger that these very same countries make it nearly impossible for their own citizens to get help but roll out the red carpet for others.

If our governments did not create bogey men for us working classes to rail against, we might become more aware of who is truly milking us, and that must never be allowed to happen. Just keep the plebs fighting among themselves, and they will never stop to question those who are pulling the strings.

[meltingpot2015]

Money spinner?...more like newsreel spinner.

The last time I heard this Europe should learn from Australia was when the former PM, Mr Tony Abbott was ranting and raving about it. Look where he is now.

It won him an election

Difficult for a lot of Europe to 'Stop the Boats' though

It won John Howard an election too!. But later it was discovered that they (Howard government) had lied to shore up voter support before the election. Search online for: Tampa Affair.

That's the problem when elections are decided on hot-potato issues only.

Abbott is a case in point. clearly he was not a fit leader (to last a whole term). The evidence is clear. He didn't last the whole term in office.

Edited January 29, 2016 by meltingpot2015

[chilli42]

What strikes me as odd about the Europen Refugee crisis is that it has been going on for a long time now. Though accountabile government is an oxymoron. Admittedly the volume of immigrants/refugees has accelerated of late. What do Europen governments know now that the did not know 2-3 years ago.? In fact most of those in the early days were economic refugees. Sure hind sight is 20-20 but you did not have to be an oracle to predict where this was heading. How is it after all this time governments have done noting and find themselves surprised by what is happening? In the business world and military this kind of blindness and inaction results in an early retirement. These governments are still in a dither about what to do today - what a complete bunch of <deleted>. The voting population should be demanding heads on a plate - which I am sure they soon will. It seems to foreshadow the emergence of heavily right leaning governments in the EU and ultimately the same in the EU parliament.

[Steely Dan]

It's quite hilarious to see the liberal-lefts policies blowing up so spectacularly in real time. Sweden is an absolute textbook example of this, quite fascinating seeing the aggressive denial, persecution of dissenting voices and deflection onto unrelated straw men give way to 'oh shucks we f$&ked up on a grand scale, reverse full speed.

[otherstuff1957]

migrants have already ruined europe.....america, and australia.

They sure have... ask the aboriginals.

I rather suspect that these expulsions will be easier said than done.

Edited January 29, 2016 by otherstuff1957

[HenryB]

They should be returned to their country of origin as they will only ruin Europe in the long term.

As I said before if the poor Muslims do not leave soon they will be in Camps and sadly Killed by the Europeans they did it before they will do it again

I say we pray for these poor people and maybe no killing of them

[Geoffggi]

Well done Sweden, at last some of the European countries are starting to wake up to the potential of a crisis waiting to happen I can only hope that others follow the examples of Denmark & Sweden and not letting migrants have a bigger bite of the cherry than their own countrymen & women. The fact that immigrants get away with much more than natives of each country should not come as a shock to any of the politicians it's just plain and simple common sense..!! All immigrants should only be admitted as temporary residents and repatriated as soon as it is possible, if they want to become a resident of their chosen country they should follow the correct procedure and also adopt the countries laws & way of life.

[billd766]

They should be returned to their country of origin as they will only ruin Europe in the long term.

As I said before if the poor Muslims do not leave soon they will be in Camps and sadly Killed by the Europeans they did it before they will do it again

I say we pray for these poor people and maybe no killing of them

But who would you pray to?

The western imaginary Christian God, Allah, Buddha, Thor, Odin etc.

Having completed your prayers, what will you do if they are not answered?

[Steely Dan]

They should be returned to their country of origin as they will only ruin Europe in the long term.

As I said before if the poor Muslims do not leave soon they will be in Camps and sadly Killed by the Europeans they did it before they will do it again

I say we pray for these poor people and maybe no killing of them

But who would you pray to?

The western imaginary Christian God, Allah, Buddha, Thor, Odin etc.

Having completed your prayers, what will you do if they are not answered?

Well if my prays were not answered I will start raising money and try to educate the poor Muslims to leave before be killed

Yes I will move to Germany to teach the Poor Muslims to leave at once

A Pied Piper would be useful. There are no liberal solutions left, as even the Swedish politicians now admit mentioning 'coercive repatriation'.

P.s Not a comment on rights and wrongs, but if you referred earlier to Muslims being killed during the Crusades and the Spanish Reconquista I would observe that both came about as a reaction to Islamic conquests.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Someone has suggested a wall...would probably work for Europe as well

[Baerboxer]

migrants have already ruined europe.....america, and australia.

They sure have... ask the aboriginals.

I rather suspect that these expulsions will be easier said than done.

Wait and see. Lots of talking and PR to placate the masses.

I expect very little to happen. The "home" countries will refuse to have these people back. They know what many of the single young men who are nothing more than illegal immigrants are like - and they don't want them back. The Europeans are too soft to force the issue and the PC liberals like Merkel will keep on bleating and bleating to let them stay, make them welcome and give them everything for nothing.

Unless there is a massive grass roots uprising, with civil unrest and very dramatic political change, nothing will happen. If there is, the EU will try to dampen it all down. Don't think the proposed EU Border Force is really just to keep immigrants out. It's the first step in EU security services to make sure, as the German Minister said, "elections can't be allowed to change things".

Muslims aren't the only threat. But they are a useful tool for those who want to control EU as a federal socialist bureaucracy.

[hawker9000]

First, taking their stuff. Now expulsion?! Really? My goodness, what would Karl Marx say? Is this any way to treat one's fellow workers of the world?? Denying them your oh so progressive socialist nirvana?

Edited January 29, 2016 by hawker9000

[donnybay]

Someone has suggested a wall...would probably work for Europe as well

Don't need a wall, fund the Greeks with manpower and nice safe comfy boats, as soon as they arrive send them back to Turkey which is where they are coming from

[soc]

The Turks don't want them either.

What other solutions are there?

l can think of a few.

[Shaunduhpostman]

The tide, I'm afraid, is going to turn very badly against Islam in Europe very soon if it isn't already. They seem to have the upper hand at the moment but Europeans are not just going sit there and let Sharia Europe bloom. Europe is the home of hundreds of millions who would never dream of allowing an Islamic Europe, and if they have to they will fight for their home and way of life and the numbers who would do so and military might of Europe give them the odds of winning such a battle. No so called Muslim invasion will ultimately prevail but of course there will be much tragedy, to put it mildly before the dust settles. Ultimately the hysteria of an Islamic invasion is just that, but that is not to say there is not a real problem that needs to be addressed. European, Western and Islamic leaders have failed humanity big time. The elites have engeneered this as well to try and guarantee a world totalitarian state whereby no matter who wins, whether it is Islamist or right wing anti-Islamic demagogue, a structure is in plac that makes it easy to yank only a few leaders' chains and then they get what they want, no messy democratic systems with their whining human rights demanding electorates to have to worry about.

[bigal2504]

Only let Christian refugees into Europe ,problem solved.

[Scott]

Inflammatory posts and reply removed.

[NeverSure]

"Mass expulsions ahead for Europe as migrant crisis grows".

Oh really? Why don't they start with Merkel? Why don't they start with the leaders of the EU? Why don't they start with the far-out wacko liberal progressives who started this borderless "inclusiveness"?

Some estimates say that as many as 1.5 million Muslim economic refugees moved into Germany last year (2015). Most of the ones I've seen look like prime-age men to me. Some of their actions have been horrendous.

The white European culture is on its way out, having destroyed itself with political correctness. The white Europeans will be overrun and out-bred and disappear into the history books all the while glibly claiming they are "better than" because they are unarmed and helpless.

They will continue to claim they are "better than" because they can offer free health care, food and housing to all comers. It's apparent that this will bankrupt their "free" medical and dental programs which were already struggling. (It ain't actually free, doncha know?)

They will continue to claim that they are the "civilized ones" as they crash and burn despite the clear fact that no civilized people would ever purposely destroy their own countries.

Cheers.

Edited January 29, 2016 by NeverSure

[fred Kubasa]

Time to put sympathy aside as accepting these millions could force accepting countries citizens to

have to leave themselves.