Europe adopts the Australian system
The Guardian reports:
Migrants were given a one-day deadline to reach Europe as leaders announced anyone landing in Greece after midnight on Saturday would be swiftly deported.
A deadly scramble for the last boats over the Aegean to the Greek islands began after a €6 billion (£2.3 billion) aid-for-deportations deal with Turkey was agreed in Brussels.
Turkish police on Friday intercepted 3,000 migrants attempting to cross on land and sea in a major operation involving coast guard and helicopters, as Ankara at last showed a willingness to halt the human tide.
From Sunday morning, any asylum seeker who lands on the holiday islands including Kos, Lesbos and Chios with no longer be able to catch ferries to Athens, but will be swiftly interviewed by asylum officials or judges at new detention camps.
From April 4, once Greek law has begun, deportations to Turkey will begin with leaders hoping within weeks that the process will take no more than days.
Effectively Europe has gone for the Australian system – removing the incentive for people to cross by sea and down themselves.
One of the most basic responsibilities of a government is security, and that includes secure borders. People want to be able to determine their country’s destiny through the ballot box, not through having millions of people come across their borders.