Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission, EU Interior Ministers,

We, organisations led by migrants and racialised people, along with our supporters, write to European leaders to condemn the violent, punitive and immoral turn in European migration politics in recent weeks. 

In recent weeks, we, residents of Europe  organising amongst both new and long-standing migrant communities, have watched as EU leaders have declared war on migrants and international law.

From illegal proposals to suspend the right to asylum and adopt offshore migrant processing models, the creation of EU ‘safe’ third-country lists and extended periods of internal border checks in the Schengen area, to our consistent reality of prison-like detention centres, state violence and racial profiling, illegal pushbacks and violent and unlawful deportations, European leaders have reached a point of no return. 

These announcements are part of a trajectory of worsening demonisation of migrants and the complete erosion of international law. For almost a decade, the European Union has pursued violent, ineffective and expensive migration measures that expand prison-like detention centres, endorse racial profiling and facilitate pushbacks and violence at borders. 

Human rights organisations have consistently framed these developments as flagrant violations of international law. We agree. However, we should also clarify that European leaders are unashamedly emulating a fascist politics reminiscent of Europe’s genocidal and colonial history.  We see the consistent demonisation and blame of our communities as a clear attempt to distract Europe’s residents from decades of political, economic and environmental failures. 

Rather than orient policies toward safety, protection and social provision for all, European leaders have settled for a politics of securitisation, criminalisation, and violence. The EU has pursued migration policies geared toward criminalising our communities, militarising borders, and endorsing far-right and racist violence. 

What you frame as a ‘migration crisis’, is actually a global inequality crisis. Recent announcements on migration conveniently evade responsibility for Europe’s past and present role contributing to the root causes of migration: displacement caused by climate change and environmental destruction, resource and wealth extraction,  colonialism, conflict, military intervention and political destabilisation. The EU is presenting an inhuman, unworkable response to problems it itself has created and contributed to.  

Attacks on migrants rights are the beginning of attacks on everybody. Anti-migrant politics and the subsequent degradation of rights have opened the door for rollbacks in women’s rights and the right to abortion, anti-gender movements, anti-worker movements and the widespread repression of civil liberties.  The far-right forces that birthed this narrative and the centrist ones that normalise them are responsible for broader threats to democracy and the rule of law. Collectively, these trends disproportionately impact communities at risk of state violence, including (undocumented) migrants, racialised, queer and trans people, and sex workers.

We call on leaders to change course and present a meaningful alternative to current EU migration policy, which is illegal, immoral, and unworkable.

Instead of wasting billions on new offshore detention centres, illegal and costly deportation procedures, and the militarisation of borders, European leaders could implement  policies in compliance with human rights, toward economic well being, safety and community care, and invest in long-term solutions to address climate degradation, conflict, and economic decline. 

We need:

• Safe and legal routes for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees;
• Pathways to regularisation and an end to the criminalisation of people on the move;
• Address the root causes of why people flee their countries, including by ending EU investment in the militarisation and securitisation of borders, the weapons trade, fossil fuels, and other industrial strategies contributing to conflict and climate degradation in the global South;
• Policies that focus on addressing the needs of all people (including migrants, shift and gig economy workers, unpaid carers, and those in precarious work) instead of prioritising corporate profits;
• A comprehensive economic and social strategy for everyone living in Europe.

We call on European leaders to change course and end their war on migrants. Instead, reorient your policies to centre a politics of care, protection and safety for all, including migrant communities. 

Drafted by:

1. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice – Europe
2. Greek Forum of Migrants – Greece
3. International Women* Space – Germany
4. Movement for Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) – Ireland
5. Equipo del Decenio Afrodescendiente – Spain

Read the letter with the signatories here.

This letter is the first joint initiative of the Migrant Justice Community of Practice. Consider joining the community of practice to develop future actions with us.