Immigration Solicitors

An estimated 800 African migrants have been rescued off the coast of Italy since Thursday (20/11/14), according to a news report from AAP.

The EU’s maritime rescue mission Mare Nostrum – provided mainly by the Italian coastguard and Italy’s navy – was replaced at the end of October by a scaled down EU search and rescue mission, Operation Triton, extending just 30 miles off the coast of Italy, instead of a widespread search and rescue service extending to the coast of Libya.

Home Secretary Theresa May had suggested that a more extensive search and rescue operation served to encourage migrants to attempt the dangerous crossing from Libya and Alexandria in Egypt to Italy and Malta.

Both Libya – the main point of departure for migrants crossing to Europe – and Italy had asked the EU for more help in tackling the issue of desperate refugees fleeing war and persecution who were trying to reach Europe.

As a result of pressure from the constant flow of migrants to Italy, the Italian authorities were unable to process and record each migrant before they left Italy for other EU countries – and were also unable to keep accurate records of migrants lost at sea, including recovering all the bodies and cataloguing personal effects accurately so that relatives could be informed.

Italian and Libyan officials were involved in the latest rescue, with the 800 migrants rescued, having set off across the Mediterranean in “rickety” boats.

The vessels are reported to have got into trouble in Italian and Libyan waters –

and the Italian coastguard rescued 520 people from five boats on Thursday night and Friday morning, after a communications centre based in Rome picked up distress signals from mobile phones on boats in the Mediterranean and heading for Sicily.

The Italian coastguard then headed for the coast of Tripoli, where distress signals had been picked up by two merchant ships.

Many migrants crossing from Libya to Italy are trafficked and pay large sums of money to make the crossing. Traffickers often provide unseaworthy vessels, however – or overload ships, leaving migrants to fend for themselves if they get into trouble at sea.

Off the coast of Alexandria, migrants are ferried from the port in small boats to a larger vessel – and may spend several days anchored at sea while the vessel is loaded up with passengers before setting off across the Mediterranean to Italy or Malta.

Despite cutting back the search and rescue mission funded by the EU, large numbers of migrants continue to try and reach Europe in the hope of a better life.

Germany and France remain the preferred destinations for migrants arriving in the EU – with the UK fifth on the list of preferred destinations.

Recent figures show that since 2000, Britain has offered British citizenship to 2.1 million migrants from the EU and non-EU countries.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of UK immigration solicitors and can advise migrants on a wide range of immigration matters, including illegal entry to the UK, asylum in the UK and asylum appeals – and the Fast-track Detention process.

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors are also able to advise on:

• British citizenship
• Marriage in the UK
• Right to work in the UK
• Student visas
• Visa overstays.

For expert legal advice on UK immigration law, call Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.