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1 [1] (July 17, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsuntaagpy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congres ion I Research Service Informing the legi ~Rativ~ debat ince 1914 Europe's Migration Crisis Mixed Migration to Europe Mixed migration has become a pattern in several regions across the globe, including Europe. Mixed migration refers to flows of various groups of people-such as economic migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, trafficked persons, and unaccompanied children-who travel the same route and use the same modes of transportation (see text box). Sometimes termed irregular migrants, such individuals do not have the required documentation such as passports and visas, and may use smugglers and unauthorized border crossings. There are numerous mixed migration routes into Europe, both over land and by sea. As seen in Figure 1, sea routes cross the western, central, and eastern Mediterranean Sea. Greece and Italy (including the islands of Sicily and Lampedusa) are major points of arrival and transit, with many people seeking to travel onward to northern Europe, where they believe they are more likely to be granted asylum and receive better welfare benefits. Figure I. Main Mediterranean Sea Migration Routes I_ r, IErMAN Source: Graphic created by CRS, based on information from Everything You Want to Know About Migration Across the Mediterranean, The Economist, May 4, 2015. Land routes into Europe include those via Turkey and the Western Balkans, and along borders in the east with the countries of Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. Many migrants and asylum-seekers are eager to reach European countries that belong to the Schengen area, which allows individuals to travel without passport checks among 26 participating states. Recently, more people have been trying to cross the Mediterranean, using both the central route in the Strait of Sicily and increasingly, in 2015, the eastern route to Greece. Although it is impossible to know exactly how many individuals have attempted to cross, estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicate a significant upward trend. In 2013, 60,000 refugees and migrants are thought to have made the journey. In 2014, nearly 219,000 did so. By late June 2015, 137,000 people reportedly had reached southern Europe by boat (with the vast majority arriving in Italy and Greece). Fatalities are also growing, from roughly 600 people in 2013 to 3,500 in 2014. Of the more than 1,800 believed to have died in the first half of 2015, over 1,000 perished in two shipwrecks within the span of a week in April 2015. With the war in Syria in its fifth year, and with over 4 million refugees in neighboring countries, more Syrians are trying to move to Europe by sea via Libya. Many Syrians have also tried to reach Greece and Bulgaria via Turkey. So far in 2015, Syrians make up the largest group by nationality crossing the Mediterranean, followed by Eritreans and Afghans. Many of the others originate from Iraq, Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan, and elsewhere in Africa. The lines of distinction between groups in mixed migration flows have raised questions about determination of status and protection required. A key policy consideration is whether the movement is voluntary or forced. While some migrants may choose to leave their place of origin, refugees and others may be forced to do so because of armed conflict, ethnic strife, human rights violations, or natural disasters, among other reasons. UNHCR asserts that most of those arriving in Europe by sea are refugees. Economic migrants are largely trying to escape poverty and seek a better life. They do this legally or illegally, for the long term or temporarily. In theory, they would receive the protection of their government should they return to their home country. Refugees are individuals who have fled their country of origin because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, or membership in a particular social or political group. Refugees are unwilling or unable to avail themselves of the protection of their home government due to fears of persecution. Once granted refugee status, a person has certain legal rights and protections under international law. Asylum-seekers are people who flee their home country and seek sanctuary in another state where they apply for asylum, i.e., the right to be recognized as a refugee. They may receive legal protection and assistance while their formal status is determined. Stateless persons are individuals who are not considered to be citizens of any state under national laws. w.ww.crs.gov 17-57D( S July 17, 2015

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