The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has recently published a new paper on the “Criminalisation of migrants in an irregular situation and of persons engaging with them”. The paper notes that :
FRA research has highlighted the risk that domestic EU Member State legislation on the facilitation of entry and stay may lead to the punishment of those who provide humanitarian assistance or rent out accommodation. Fishermen fear punishment for rescuing migrants in distress at sea, under the rules on facilitation of irregular entry.
… The use of criminal sanctions and imprisonment to fight irregular migration harms not only the persons concerned, but also casts a negative light on how society as a whole perceives them. (footnotes omitted, p. 1-2 of the report)
Esohap 