It ought to be difficult to dissuade people from trying to leave their country when they feel persecuted, insecure or threatened. Those that flee from Syria, Eritrea, or even farther, know that they must cross six or seven borders to reach their goal of arriving in an E.U. country.
The quota system established by the European Commission in September of 2015āso that E.U. countries welcome the thousands upon thousands of individuals arriving in Greece, Italy, Jordan and Turkey seeking refuge and asylumāhas been overcome by the human avalanche that is trying to arrive by various means, and always in the worst conditions. Also, the infinite bureaucracy in the places established for their identification and referral to a country or city has contributed to the fact that, for example, by February 2nd, 2016, of the 17,000 people Spain was allocated, it has received 18. This figure needs no qualification.
The generous Europe of this past summer has backtracked. Each country tries as it might to establish borders contrary to the principle of freedom of movement, raising fences, declaring shelters overcrowded, shutting their doors and cancelling the transports that with such altruism they were facilitating only a few months ago.
We are no longer appalled by images of crowded boats, filled to the brim with people in yellow or orange vests; lines of people walking with blankets over their head no longer disturb us; children huddling around suitcases and backpacks, only a few meters away from cars covered in snow, no longer rob us of sleep. They are daily images next to headlines that tell of protests against receiving so many refugees.
The worry of local authorities concerning where to accommodate and attend to those arriving is well understood; protests against illegal acts committed by those seeking asylum are also understandable. But, confiscating possessions?
Confiscation entails the appropriation of an individualās property by the state, and that has always been characteristic of totalitarian regimes. The state appropriates that which is not its own simply because it decides it has the power to do so. There is no division of powers, no judicial verdicts, there is not even, in this case, commiseration.
Denmark, a country that has decided to confiscate refugeeās possessions so that they contribute to their own support, is a respected democracy. Because of this, the Defensor del Pueblo, which safeguards Human Rights, can neither endorse nor understand such an unjust decision contrary to the Rule of Law.
Recommendations made by the Defensor del Pueblo:
30/11/2015. Action protocol to facilitate access to Spain of family members of citizens already benefitting from international protection.
15/10/2015. Reinforcement of staff assigned to handling asylum applications at the Border Post of Beni Enzar (Melilla)
09/10/2015. Design of an education program specifically for minors in the Temporary Holding Centre (CETI) in Melilla
09/10/2015. Transfer to the peninsula of families with minors and physically disabled persons who are in the Temporary Holding Centre (CETI) in Melilla.
07/10/2015. Social assistance for those applying for asylum at the Border Post Beni Enzar (Melilla)
