EU Approves Illegal Immigration Plan

CHAN: The European Union has just passed tougher immigration rules. It comes as hundreds of African migrants reach Spain's Tenerife island... who will now be labeled as illegals. Here's more. STORY: Almost 400 would-be immigrants reached the Canary Island coast yesterday. Human Rights officials from the Council of Europe say over fifty thousand asylum seekers and refugees arrived by boat on the shores of Spain, Italy, Greece and Malta last year. They are also classed as illegal immigrants. The European Parliament this week agreed on a law that allows illegal immigrants to be detained for up to 18 months and face a five-year re-entry ban. Human rights groups and opponents fear it will encourage authorities to lock up more illegal migrants. Currently in Spain illegal migrants cannot be detained for more than 40 days. Spain's Deputy Prime Minister says she wants that lengthened. [Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister]: "Our 40-day detention limit seems insufficient, that is why we are thinking of stretching it 20 more days. That is why we would like to discuss with other countries the possibility of just a short extension of that period that allows us to continue granting constitutional rights, as Spain does." Thousands of illegal immigrants attempt the journey from Africa to Spain's Canary Islands every year in open-topped wooden boats. Many die trying to reach Europe in search of work. EU officials estimate there are up to 8 million illegal migrants in the bloc. More than 200,000 were arrested in the first half of 2007 but less than 90,000 expelled.

» View the original video «

YouTube | June 21, 2008

Tags:. .almost. .million. .attempt. .allows. .reached