Pragmatism trumps PC... maybe.

[Workingman]

It is very late in the day but EU countries have finally begun to grasp the nettle of illegal immigrants and bogus asylum seekers.

All undocumented entrants will be held in closed and secure migrant centres where their claims can be processed before determining those "who will be returned". This should always have been the case and recent events in Germany, Spain, Malta, and especially Italy, appear to have forced the issue. If all goes well it will no longer be the case of registering in one EU country and then being free to roam within the Schengen area and become "lost" to the authorities.

It might all seem a bit draconian, and the bleedin' heart brigades are already claiming the centres as "prisons", but it is good for the EU and especially good for genuine asylum seekers as there will be more room for them and more acceptance of them from local communities who will know that they are genuine.

[cromwell]

It's a small step. Far better to intercept the NGO ferries at sea but as yet that is a step too far.

[Suff]

It is a very small step in what appears to be the right direction.

However it is also a sad day that it took a rebellion by the Italians and the Italians to close their ports before someone in the EU listened. Had they listened to Cameron in 2015, when Merkel was absolutely determined to flood the EU with immigrants, they might not be in the situation they are in today.

Or even listened to Orban instead of trying to shout him down or make a legal case to remove his fence.

I don't think that they are moving in any direction (in reality), to control this. It is just that the EU does not want Merkel to fall and Italy was hell bent on getting their own way and if Merkel fell that was her own issue.

I look at this as just another example of the Phenomena I have been watching for decades now. Everyone can dump on the UK but everyone also has a right to dissent so long as they are not the UK.

These NGO's have been illegally intercepting illegal migrants in Libyan waters for years now. They have then been illegally taking these migrants to Italy (the law says first port which is in Libya), but Italy has been complicit in taking them. Notably Malta (closer), has refused to take them.

I expect that, deal or not, Italy will continue to refuse to allow these refugee boats to dock. Insisting, instead, that they go to Malta, France or Libya.

About time really.

[Workingman]

There were pictures of men (it's always young men) sat on a dock each with their own mobile phone.... and a connection to?????

I would take their phones and check out every number, text, email and social media contacts. I would then follow all of those up - I bet a lot of them are the same on all the phones (hint, hint) - and then get Interpol and the countries where the contacts are located involved.

There would be more than a few "contacts" who do not want a knock on the door in the middle of the night by men in uniform.