Home Affairs Minister adamant against freeing illegal immigrants

Malta was not prepared to emulate some European countries and set illegal immigrants free, even if the problem had cost the government around Lm500,000 in 18 months, according to Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg.

Still, the government was aiming to clear the backlog of asylum seeker applications by the end of the year, Dr Borg told The Times in an interview.

He also said it had been established that the vast majority of illegal immigrants reaching Malta were departing from Libya.

Dr Borg appealed to the public to realise that the authorities were dealing with a desperate situation with over-stretched resources.

The issue of illegal immigrants is once again in the spotlight following the escape of a number of them from the police headquarters and Ta' Kandja, where they are held.

There are currently over 600 people in detention and open centres.

The minister said that illegal immigrants arriving in several other countries were being allowed to walk free and were therefore exporting the problem to neighbouring countries. Dr Borg said it was a well-known fact that a European quota of asylum seekers was being created, through which they could occupy certain "unpopular" jobs.

But Malta could not turn a blind eye to the problem of illegal immigration, particularly because of the issue of EU membership, which permits freedom of movement.

"If we are going to have freedom of movement of EU citizens, and that I believe is not going to be phenomenal, we have to control the non-EU nationals," the minister said.

Before the government established exactly what the effect of the EU would be on the labour market it would be risky to "open another door", Dr Borg said.

Dr Borg said there were a number of factors behind this year's drop in the number of illegal immigrants entering Malta. One of them could be the well-known stiff legislation against illegal immigration.

Last year, a total of 1,680 illegal immigrants landed in Malta. The number this year is down to 180.

The minister said he had been informed that thousands of people had reached such a point of desperation that they were prepared to travel hundreds of kilometres to reach the Libyan coast, equipped with just a jerrycan of water. If they survived the trip they then attempted to cross into mainland Europe, often cooped up in a battered boat.

The government was currently engaged in talks to establish a readmission agreement with Libya, which would enable the Maltese authorities to repatriate to it all those immigrants who depart from there.

Dr Borg said he hoped this agreement would be signed by the end of the year.

The minister would not criticise the police for the recent escapes, heaping praise upon them instead, for working "beyond the call of duty".

"Of course, we're all upset at what happened but we have to remember these people are not criminals."

Dr Borg said a small country like Malta could not afford the luxury of changing its laws to allow illegal immigrants to stay.

Still, the government had done its utmost to draw up a new refugee law two years ago which ensured that asylum-seekers could not be deported. But until that status is determined by an independent refugee commissioner, the immigrants have to remain in detention.

The next essential step was to shorten the detention period. Dr Borg said the refugees issue was so complicated that finding experts was hard to come by though a number of independent lawyers had recently been engaged.

The minister expressed his frustration that - with the exception of Mgr Philip Calleja of the Emigrants Commission and the Good Shepherd Convent - nobody was assisting those who were granted refugee status.

There are 177 recognised refugees in Malta at present, and another 351 have humanitarian status.