200 refugees to be resettled in the US

About 200 refugees are to be resettled in the US in a major drive to ease Malta's illegal immigration woes.

The US government is also contemplating taking in 200 immigrants from Malta every year thanks to an initiative steered by the UN High Commission for Refugees.

The initiative will involve refugees or those in need of humanitarian protection, excluding economic migrants and will target primarily vulnerable groups, like children and single women, sources told The Times.

The US Embassy in Malta was instrumental in helping with the resettlement, which is the biggest single relocation of African migrants from Malta. The move could take place by early summer.

The initiative is considered to be unique as UNHCR normally does not resettle refugees from developed countries, but from Third World countries.

Malta has raised the issue of illegal migration at various EU fora in a coordinated attempt to persuade other member states to share the problems spawned by the immigrant tide.

The ambassadors of EU states to Malta were even asked to circulate letters with the respective foreign affairs and home affairs ministries. Malta proposed resettling a number of refugees in other EU member states, especially those that require migrant labour.

But the response to share the burden was hardly enthusiastic with only Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the US and Lithuania so far agreeing to take some.

The regional representative of the UN refugee agency, Walter Irvine, told The Times yesterday:

"Recognising the difficulties faced by Malta in dealing with the continuous population flows into the island, UNHCR supports a responsibility-sharing mechanism consisting in the resettlement of a number of refugees out of Malta."

Mr Irvine said the UNHCR is working closely with the Maltese authorities to establish a mechanism for the processing of resettlement cases.

This will be coupled with a continuation of efforts in close cooperation with the local authorities in order to improve reception conditions of asylum-seekers upon arrival, their conditions as they await processing of their asylum claims and, finally, the conditions of refugees in respect of integration.

There are over 700 immigrants in detention centres in Malta and over 1,700 in open centres.