Almost a decade has passed since migration to Europe from Africa and the Middle East peaked in 2015, referred to as the “migrant crisis” year. Over a million individuals from Africa and the Middle East applied for asylum in the European Union.
Since then, the numbers have continued to rise. In 2023, the number of migrants arriving on Europe’s shores via the Mediterranean Sea reached 275,000, an increase from around 180,000 in 2022.
To control the flow of migrants, EU member states, in addition to the EU itself, have adopted closed-door policies – stringent border control measures at the union’s external borders and anti-migration policies, gradually transforming Europe into a “fortress.”
We have been studying migration, borders, and the relationship between Africa and the European Union for over a decade and continue to closely monitor the situation. We are part of a community of researchers on Africa-EU relations working on migration policies and have noticed new approaches used by the EU to prevent migrants from entering the region.
By leveraging these sources and points of contact, we identified three new trends in how European countries establish barriers:
- Borders are intensively monitored, and the resources used to manage them have changed.
- Non-governmental organizations supporting migrants and based in Europe are facing harassment.
- The asylum process is outsourced or delegated to African countries.
The EU’s “fortification” approach is a waste of resources that could be used in more humane and sustainable ways. Regardless of the measures taken by European countries, irregular migration will continue. Movement and mobility are natural parts of human life, and people will always seek better options.
Between 2014 and 2022, the total length of border fences on the external and internal borders of the European Union increased from 315 km to 2048 km. Military forces are increasingly used to manage the situation.
Artificial intelligence is now used to enhance geographical borders. There are new and controversial mechanisms:
- Artificial intelligence makes discriminatory risk assessments based on race and origin, potentially leading to unlawful profiling and racism.
- The European Parliament recently approved a new migration and asylum agreement allowing the use of facial recognition technology and biometric data collection. Images and data of migrants can now be stored for up to 10 years, accessible to police forces throughout the EU.
- Military drones are used to detect refugee boats in the Mediterranean Sea, enabling coast guards to intercept them.
Many human rights organizations are concerned that the use of these new technologies, especially AI algorithms, threatens the rights of migrants. They violate privacy by collecting personal data and discriminate based on nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, and national origin.
Translated and edited from: the conversation
