Charging The Poor To Keep The Poorest

On the second anniversary of the EU-Turkey deal, Refugees Deeply speaks with experts about the agreement's impact.

Under the deal, Turkey would prevent boats leaving its shores for Greece, while Greece would return arriving migrants to Turkey. In exchange, the EU would increase funding for refugees in Turkey.

"Let us be honest. What we are doing is charging the poor to keep the poorest," says Dimitris Christopoulos, head of the International Federation for Human Rights.

Turkey should keep Syrians. Or Greece, if they manage to cross the Aegean. Sub-Saharan Africans should stay in North Africa, "where slavery in Libya is cynically regarded as collateral damage as long as the Libyans halt migrants."

"If we refuse the persecuted the right to knock on the door of Europe because we are afraid that fascists will come, then we are simply becoming the beast we are supposedly fighting against."

This, he says, not refugees, is the real problem Europe faces.

Only 2,164 people have been deported from Greece to Turkey since the deal was struck, says Sevda Tunaboylu, PhD candidate at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, and little is known about what happened to them afterward.

Syrians have only been returned to Turkey after signing voluntary return papers. However, this is often not really voluntary because they fear arbitrary detention, violence, and deportation. In Turkey, they can apply for temporary protection status, but not everyone is able to obtain it.

"As a result, several families have returned to Syria despite the dire conditions that await them there."

Non-Syrians who are deported to Turkey are detained immediately upon arrival with the purpose of deportation to their countries of origin. Detainees report lack of privacy, security, adequate food, health care, and limited communication with the outside world.

"It is clear that the governments of Greece and Turkey are still not able to ensure access to a fair and effective asylum procedure."