Immigration: 3.604 Algerian illegal migrants detained in European prisons

Frontex, the European Union’s border agency, says 2014 has seen a significant rise in the numbers of migrants reaching Europe.

According to media outlets, the total for 2014 so far is higher than the equivalent period in 2011, the year which saw the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ and a reported total of 140,000 migrants entering Europe illegally.

Frontex says in its report that over 2.200 Algerian undocumented migrants have been expelled from several European countries since the first quarter of 2014 while over 2.000 others have been barred from entry into the European Shengen space because of forged visa documents.

The report also says that a total of 3.604 Algerian “Haraga” or illegal migrants are now being held in European jails.

 Reports say that from January to April this year, 42,000 migrants were detected by Frontex, with 25,650 of these crossing from Libya.

Gil Arias Fernandez, Frontex’s Deputy Executive Director told reporters: “If the current trends continue, and with the autumn months approaching, there is a strong likelihood the numbers will increase further.”

At least a third of the latest arrivals are Syrians. Significant numbers are also coming from Afghanistan and Eritrea.

The vast majority of the boats depart from Libya.

According to statistics since the beginning of 2014, over 38,000 irregular migrants have arrived in Italy, mostly on the island of Lampedusa, an eight-fold increase over the 4,290 who made the crossing during the same period in 2013.

Italian officials have suggested that it represents only the tip of the iceberg.

The report found that detections of illegal border crossing at the EU external borders increased sharply in 2013, rising to over 107,000 from 75,000 in 2012.

Frontex says migration towards the EU in 2013 was characterized by three main phenomena: a significant increase in the number of Syrians arriving, a steady flow of migrants departing from North Africa including Algeria and Libya and heading across the Mediterranean to Italy, and a sharp increase in detections of irregular migrants on the Western Balkan route.

Most detections of illegal border-crossing were of Syrians, Eritreans, Afghans and Albanians, who together accounted for 52% of total detections (or 55 400). Syrians alone (25 500) represented almost a quarter of the total number.