Only 60 of those rescued by SOS Méditerranée will be able to request political asylum and the rest will be distributed among eleven EU countries
At least 44 of the 234 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by the humanitarian ship ‘Ocean Viking’ will be expelled from French territory to their countries of origin, after the Paris government has denied their asylum applications, as announced on Tuesday by the Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. At the request of the President of the Republic (Emmanuel Macron) and the Prime Minister (Elisabeth Borne) I have already contacted the administrations of their national territories so that these deportations are carried out as quickly as possible, as soon as their state of health allow it within twenty days, “said Darmanin before the National Assembly.
The head of the Interior portfolio explained that “44 of the rescued people have been recognized as minors and only 60 can request asylum.” The rest of the files are still being examined by the French authorities before making a decision. “For people who can request asylum, we are going to allow their distribution on European territory,” added Darmanin, who also confirmed that eleven countries have agreed to take care of them: Germany, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta , Norway, Portugal and Romania. “It is proof that the solution is European,” he added.
On November 11, the French Executive allowed the ‘Ocean Viking’ to dock in the military port of Toulon after Italy refused to take in the migrants rescued in the central Mediterranean by the ship of the NGO SOS Méditerranée. Rome thus failed to comply with the community rule that establishes that people assisted at sea must disembark at the nearest dock.
Possible terrorist infiltrators
After their arrival in Toulon, the rescued have undergone a medical examination. All of them have also passed an interview with the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) to rule on their asylum requests and another with the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) with the aim of trying to find out if there are terrorists. infiltrators.
Macron’s decision to take in the ‘Ocean Viking’ migrants has been criticized by the right and far right. Marine Le Pen was yesterday in favor of the fact that, once rescued from the sea, the ships disembark at their ports of departure, not on the French coast.
“If you were responsible, would you have let those 44 children die?” Darmanin asked Laure Lavelette, a deputy for the far-right National Regroupment party, who had criticized France in the National Assembly for opening its doors to those rescued. “We have displayed humanism, while you engage in politicking,” criticized the minister.
Rome’s refusal to take in the ‘Ocean Viking’ migrants sparked tensions with Paris three weeks after Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government came to power in Italy. In response, France tightened immigration controls at the border between the two countries. It also suspended the planned reception between now and 2023 in Gallic territory of 3,500 rescued refugees who are currently in Italy, as established in a prior agreement for the distribution of migrants between community partners.
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