Published on 05.08.2016.
Protecting the dignity and rights of migrants in an irregular situation requires decisive action. With this in mind, National Red Cross Societies in the EU make the following recommendations to the EU and its Member States:
- Implement an effective framework for safe and legal migration to the EU so as to reduce irregular migration.
- Ensure access to humanitarian assistance for all migrants, irrespective of their legal status.
- Support access to information about the rights of all migrants.
- Apply the ‘firewall principle’ to ensure clear separation between immigration authorities, and other law enforcement authorities and public services.
- Guarantee effective access to justice for migrants in an irregular situation.
- Facilitate migrants’ access to a secure and dignified status.
- Abstain from detaining migrant children and make the detention of adult migrants a measure of last resort.
- Make sure that return procedures comply with fundamental rights.
Please see the position paper, made by Red Cross EU Office, “Protecting the dignity and rights of migrants in an irregular situation”.