As we mentioned on Monday, an op/ed piece by Bolivian president Evo Morales on immigration was published in the Guardian UK. Morales criticized a strong anti-immigration proposal by the European Union (EU) and instead called for the region to adopt “a migration policy that respects human rights.”Ultimately, however, Morales’ appeal fell on deaf ears:
European Union lawmakers voted Wednesday to allow countries in the bloc to hold undocumented migrants in detention centers for up to 18 months and ban them from EU territory for five years….
Described by critics like Amnesty International as "severely flawed" and an erosion of human rights standards, but by supporters as a balanced approach, the so-called return directive passed in the European Parliament by a vote of 369 to 197, with 106 deputies abstaining.
The E.U. legislature blocked ten amendments to the proposal including granting detainees the right to legal counsel, while the approved plan is said to be part of a regionwide “immigration pact” to be introduced next month.
According to the E.U. an estimated 8 million illegal immigrants live in the bloc, compared to about 11 million in the U.S.
Image- BBC News (“The Canary Islands are struggling with an influx of migrants.”)
Sources- Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, Sydney Morning Herald, Southern Ledger, International Herald Tribune
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