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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Border force warns terrorists could enter EU by abusing asylum checks | Border force warns terrorists could enter EU by abusing asylum checks |
| (5 months later) | |
| The EU’s border force has warned that terrorists may have infiltrated Europe by hiding among asylum seekers, noting that two of the bombers in last November’s Paris attacks arrived on the continent in a smuggling boat from Turkey. | The EU’s border force has warned that terrorists may have infiltrated Europe by hiding among asylum seekers, noting that two of the bombers in last November’s Paris attacks arrived on the continent in a smuggling boat from Turkey. |
| Frontex’s annual risk analysis, released on Tuesday, said: “The Paris attacks in November 2015 clearly demonstrated that irregular migratory flows could be used by terrorists to enter the EU.” | Frontex’s annual risk analysis, released on Tuesday, said: “The Paris attacks in November 2015 clearly demonstrated that irregular migratory flows could be used by terrorists to enter the EU.” |
| Echoing observations made five months ago, the report added: “Two of the terrorists involved in the attacks had previously irregularly entered through Leros and had been registered by the Greek authorities. They presented fraudulent Syrian documents to speed up their registration process. | Echoing observations made five months ago, the report added: “Two of the terrorists involved in the attacks had previously irregularly entered through Leros and had been registered by the Greek authorities. They presented fraudulent Syrian documents to speed up their registration process. |
| “As the vast majority of migrants arrive undocumented, screening activities are essential to properly verify their declaration of nationality.” | “As the vast majority of migrants arrive undocumented, screening activities are essential to properly verify their declaration of nationality.” |
| Frontex’s suggestions come weeks after European politicians introduced a stringent new border policy that will see almost all asylum seekers landing on islands such as Leros returned to Turkey. | Frontex’s suggestions come weeks after European politicians introduced a stringent new border policy that will see almost all asylum seekers landing on islands such as Leros returned to Turkey. |
| Frontex claimed that it had documented an estimated 1.8m illegal border crossings in 2015 – a six-fold increase on the previous record. | Frontex claimed that it had documented an estimated 1.8m illegal border crossings in 2015 – a six-fold increase on the previous record. |
| In response, migration experts warned that the number of irregular migrants arriving in Europe was likely to be far lower as one individual migrant may have been counted as they crossed several borders. | In response, migration experts warned that the number of irregular migrants arriving in Europe was likely to be far lower as one individual migrant may have been counted as they crossed several borders. |
| “They are not talking about 1.8 million people – they are talking about 1.8 million border detections,” said Nando Sigona, a migration-focussed academic at the University of Birmingham, who has previously written about Frontex’s use of statistics. “People may have crossed more than one border.” | “They are not talking about 1.8 million people – they are talking about 1.8 million border detections,” said Nando Sigona, a migration-focussed academic at the University of Birmingham, who has previously written about Frontex’s use of statistics. “People may have crossed more than one border.” |
| Frontex has previously been forced to admit that it double-counts migrants in its statistics. “People arriving in Greece would again be counted entering Hungary,” the organisation said in a tweet last year. | Frontex has previously been forced to admit that it double-counts migrants in its statistics. “People arriving in Greece would again be counted entering Hungary,” the organisation said in a tweet last year. |
| Sigona added that it was not necessarily useful to compare Frontex’s 2015 figures with numbers from previous years, since European countries did not allocate so many resources to detecting migrants in the past. “You can’t really use numbers from previous years because we’re putting more resources into intercepting people than we used to,” Sigona said. “Nowadays every boat is counted, whereas in the past that was not the case.” | Sigona added that it was not necessarily useful to compare Frontex’s 2015 figures with numbers from previous years, since European countries did not allocate so many resources to detecting migrants in the past. “You can’t really use numbers from previous years because we’re putting more resources into intercepting people than we used to,” Sigona said. “Nowadays every boat is counted, whereas in the past that was not the case.” |
| Brexit campaigners said the report was evidence that the UK was at risk from terrorists able to slip through European borders. | Brexit campaigners said the report was evidence that the UK was at risk from terrorists able to slip through European borders. |
| A Leave.EU spokesman said: “Prevented by free movement rules from carrying out extensive background checks on EU nationals, we are now in clear danger from European Islamists, who can seek to establish UK terror cells after slipping through the Schengen Area’s porous external border.” | A Leave.EU spokesman said: “Prevented by free movement rules from carrying out extensive background checks on EU nationals, we are now in clear danger from European Islamists, who can seek to establish UK terror cells after slipping through the Schengen Area’s porous external border.” |
| A spokesman for Britain Stronger in Europe said Britain had control of its borders: “Britain’s deal with the EU gives us the best of both worlds – opting into things that help keep us safe, like co-operation on security issues, but opting out of things that do not work for us, like the borderless Schengen area.” | A spokesman for Britain Stronger in Europe said Britain had control of its borders: “Britain’s deal with the EU gives us the best of both worlds – opting into things that help keep us safe, like co-operation on security issues, but opting out of things that do not work for us, like the borderless Schengen area.” |