Immigration Solicitors

Save the Children has said that around 400 migrants are believed to have drown off the coast of Libya after their vessel capsized.

BBC News reports that the Italian coastguard rescued 144 migrants from the sea and launched a search and rescue mission on Monday (13/04/15) to try and save more. An Iceland coast guard ship joined in with Monday’s operation.

A spokesman for Save the Children said that of those rescued, many appeared to be male minors, but some babies were on board the vessel. The boat they were travelling in was carrying around 550 migrants and overturned one day into the journey across the Mediterranean to the Italian coast.

The European Union – which runs the Triton search and rescue mission via the Frontex border agency – said that since Friday, around 7,000 migrants have been rescued from waters between Libya and Italy.

Last year, the search and rescue operation Mare Nostrum run by the Italian coastguard and navy was ended and replaced by the more limited operation Triton, which only operates within 30 miles of the Italian coast and not across the whole of the Mediterranean Sea.

The latest incident happened around 60 nautical miles off the Libyan coast and it is reported people smugglers fired shots into the air in response to a coastguard vessel trying to rescue migrants from the vessel which had overturned.

The traffickers approached the empty vessel in a speedboat to retrieve it after the migrants had been rescued. Frontex says the incident suggests that traffickers are running out of boats.

At the time Mare Nostrum was ended, Home Secretary Theresa May spoke in support of a smaller operation, saying that a wider search and rescue mission served to encourage more migrants to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean to try and reach Europe. In 2014, it is estimated that 3,400 migrants lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

Many migrants set sail in vessels which are cargo ships – and which in some cases are not seaworthy – having paid thousands of pounds to human traffickers to reach Europe.

Recently traffickers have deliberately left ships full of migrants adrift without a captain, after steering them at the Italian coastline.

The EU's commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said:

“The unprecedented influx of migrants at our borders – and in particular refugees – is unfortunately the new norm and we will need to adjust our responses accordingly.”

It is estimated a total of 280,000 illegal immigrants entered European countries in 2014.

Many are fleeing conflicts in their home countries including Eritrea, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

Once they arrive in the EU they are able to move across borders unchecked, with some heading for Calais to try to cross to England.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Lawyers

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of immigration lawyers able to advise migrants from non-EU countries on a wide range of immigration matters, including illegal entry to the UK – and asylum and asylum appeals in the UK.

Duncan Lewis is a Legal Aid immigration lawyer also able to advise on:

• Housing Benefit
• Fast-track detention process
• Right to work in the UK
• Spouse visas
• Student visas
• Visa overstays.

For expert legal advice on UK immigration law, call Duncan Lewis immigration lawyers on 020 7923 4020.

For urgent help with immigration matters call the Duncan Lewis Emergency Hotline on 020 7275 2036, where an immigration lawyer is available 24/7.