The Frontex agency is sounding the alarm: in the first quarter of 2022, the flow of illegal immigrants at the borders of the European Union is the highest since 2016. At the same time, asylum applications are on the rise again in France.
More than 40,300 crossings have been detected at EU borders since January, 57% more than a year ago.
This increase is not the consequence of the war in Ukraine: the number of Ukrainian refugees is not taken into account by the European Border Protection Agency. The routes traced by Frontex are mainly taken by “Syrians and Afghans” via the Balkans, by “Nigerians and Congolese” in the eastern Mediterranean and by “Moroccans and Guineans” from West Africa.
In terms of asylum applications, the most spectacular changes concern those made by Georgians (+445%), Albanians (+248%), Turks (+190%) and Bangladeshis (+118%). Afghanistan, however, remains the first country of origin of applicants.
This increase in the resumption of migratory flows is reflected in France. Since January, the number of asylum applications has increased by 36% compared to the same period last year. A total of 28,405 requests were made to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons.