BRUSSELS (AP) – The aid group Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday that attempts by various European Union nations to deter migrants have put thousands of people in danger and created more business for smugglers.
In a report, it said border closures and tougher policing only encourage people seeking sanctuary or jobs to use other routes to get to Europe.
“Policies of deterrence, along with their chaotic response to the humanitarian needs of those who flee, actively worsened the conditions of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children,” said the aid group’s head of operations, Brice de le Vingne.
The group, also known as MSF, urged the EU to create more legal ways to come to Europe and allow asylum applications at the land border between Turkey and Greece.
More than 1 million migrants arrived in the EU last year, but they haven’t always been welcomed.