AD calls for cuts in migrant detention

The compulsory detention time for immigrants should be cut to six months, since the current 18-month period is both inhumane and financially unfeasible, according to Alternattiva Demokratika.

“A six month maximum period is enough for monitoring since cheaper and more humane alternatives exist. These include obligatory signing at police stations and mandatory health checks. Failure to abide by these conditions would mean the immigrant is detained once again, thus he is given responsibility over his own freedom,” said AD migration spokesman Robert Callus.

Speaking during a visit at the Safi detention centre yesterday, he said all immigrants released from detention should be granted work permits to ensure they did not end up working on the black market. AD chairman Michael Briguglio called for responsibility sharing across the EU and for more attention to be given to the situation of small island states.

He said experts and the media should have full access to detention centres. Length and conditions of detention – which are currently too long, inhumane and unsustainable – should be reviewed.