UNHCR lambasts “externalisation” of migration issue

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi slammed countries on Friday for what he termed the externalisation and politicisation of the migration issue, which he said betrayed refugees.

“Don’t externalise asylum. We’ve seen it in many instances in North America, Europe and Australia: a trend to say asylum seekers should not come to our territory. If they want to seek asylum, they can do it from afar,” Grandi told a Geneva press conference.

This, he insisted, amounted to “almost an export of asylum obligations”, endangering protection.

“It is a betrayal of commitments that states have made at the compact, at the global refugee forum two years ago to say ‘let’s share this responsibility’.

“What sharing is it if you just outsource your asylum responsibility?” Grandi asked.

“The politicisation of the refugee issue, this is nothing new. We’ve seen it in many instances. We’ve seen it in Europe and many other places.

“Don’t politicise refugees, migrants, asylum seekers,” Grandi said, adding that politicising the issue “may help leaders get votes, win elections, but they don’t solve the problem.

“Actually they make it much more complicated.”

He also called out Hungary, noting the country’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto has vowed to protect its own borders and called on the EU to try to “stop the flow” of illegal migration.

“From an EU member state, this is not a great example,” said Grandi.

“I don’t think that this is what European values of solidarity are about,” the UNHCR head said.

“That is an example of what I think was clearly a politicisation of this issue.”