Agreement with EU on Readmission will come into force in a month according to which Ukraine is obliged to accept and deport about 2 thousand illegal migrants a year for its expenses. It is said about those migrants who escaped to Europe from Africa, Asia and other not very successful regions through Ukraine. Experts beforehand about the fact that state is not ready to shelter the army of refugees neither technically (there are no enough places for keeping the illegal migrants) nor financially (in order to keep one illegal migrant 1000 UAH should be spent a moth). Deportation of uninvited guests to their motherland will cost to Ukraine € 1000 per each), whereas only this year 3 million UAH was spent from the budget. This sum could be used for deportation of 400 illegal migrants.

BORDER GUARDS. Border guards do not believe in the mass flow of illegal migrants after New Year. The illegal migrants are kept up to 10 days till their identification in the detachments. “There are much less migrants now because Ukrainian border is guarded better”, – the head of the press-service of Western Administration of Border Service Vladimir Sheremeta says. According to his words each border detachment on the western border has detention centre for 20-30 illegal migrants and in Chop Detachment – for 44. “These are the premises with a toilet, laundry, autonomous heating, a doctor and a dinning room”, – Sheremeta says. Border guards suppose that they will not have the free places for all refugees. The maintenance of one refugee is 25-30 UAH a day (about 1000 UAH per month, whereas the average pension in the country comprises 680 UAH). In 10 days the migrants are transported to the camps for the refugees, there are only two ones – in Chernihiv and Volyn. About 400 refugees can live there up to 6 months. Where should the rest people be taken?  7 such centres are planned to be constructed in Ukraine to accept refugees: in Crimean, Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, Transcarpathian and Khmelnytsk regions.

FEAR. However, local people protest, particularly in Transcarpathian and Lviv regions. “I do not want to have illegal migrants as neighbors who have such exotic diseases”, – Galyna, local resident of Lviv region is exasperated, where the settling for the refugees is planned to be built instead of a former palace of Badeni (till the present moment a military unit was there). “Today they want to make a settling for the refugees in Brody, and tomorrow – in other cities and villages. Public tranquility can be broken down by uninvited guests. We agreed to shackling agreement on readmission in exchange for simplification of visa regime with EU, however it is still not very easy for Ukrainians to get  visa to Europe, and in consulates we are still considered as people of the third sort”, – deputy of Lviv Regional Council Iryna Sekh is protesting.

FOR AGREEMENT ABOLISHMENT. The head of HA MIA of Crime, people’s deputy Henadiy Moskal considers that Ukraine should annul Agreement on Readmission. According to his words, at first EU will evict those refugees having neither job nor citizenship: “EU gives each Ukrainian private waiter, barman and dishwasher not because of big care. Where should Ukraine take means and working places to keep this army of migrants? EU strengthens its borders, perspectives on accept of Ukraine to EU were moved aside, and there is no still visa-free regime.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/71046

Head Administration of MIA in Lviv region announces about intention of European Union to build Closed Detention Centre (CDC) for keeping illegal migrants in an industrial zone “Sygnivka” in Lviv. The centre will be built exclusively for the costs of European Union. It will occupy the land area of 9,6 hectare  which is going to be in use of HA MIA in Lviv region. CDC will be calculated for 200 places, the cost of construction is estimated in 40 million UAH. The building is planned to be finished in 2012. Illegal migrants will stay at the present centre till their deportation to their home land.

Source: http://www.focus.ua/society/83637

Border guards of Chop Border Detachment of Border Service “Velykyi Bereznyi” apprehended a group of illegal migrants trying to cross illegally Ukrainian-Slovakian border. At 10 a.m. the border detail detained four unfamiliar persons (without documents) with children under age (1-2 years old) in the distance of 1000 m from the line of the state border who made their way to the side of the border.

During the interview their citizenship was identified – they were the resident of Russian Federation (Chechnya). They arrived to Ukraine by air ways to the city of Kyiv. These citizens were detained according to Ukrainian legislation and now they are in TAC of Chop Border Detachment till establishment of conditions on violation.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/70872

The border guards of Mukachevo Border Service detained two citizens of Turkey at the railway station Batevo (Transcarpathian region). There were no documents at the detainees. The circumstances of apprehension denote intentions of the foreigners to cross the state border of Ukraine. The border guards carry out filtration-test measures with them and procedure on their identification.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/70624

In the check point “Tysa” border guards detained the citizen of Armenia who tried to cross the border having forged documents. In the course of border control of the bus Donetsk-Malaga (Spain) suspicion of the border guards aroused as to the documents of one of the passengers. The man presented so-called Travel document issued in Spain for the check. He is stated there as person with no citizenship. With the help of technical measure it was cleared out that documents contain sign of extraneous interventions – photo is re-glued, laminated film is damaged. Beforehand, in the course of filtration measure implementation foreigner called himself the citizen of Armenia and told that present document he got at the territory of Armenia and paid for it € 1000 aiming at further trip to the countries of EU. The citizen is detained in administrative order till his identification.

Besides, in the evening the border guards detained one more trespasser. The citizen of Mali who attempted to cross Ukrainian-Hungarian Border but he was caught by the detail of Border Service “Tysa” nearby the village Solomonovo. Now this detainee person gives explanations to the border guards about the reasons of his act.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/70515

A centre for illegal migrants is planned to be equipped by MIA in the palace of Badeni – monument of architecture of 19^th century in Lviv region. The deputies of Regional Council appealed to prime minister with demand to cancel this decision. According to the decision of Cabinet of Ministers, palace of the earl Badeni was transferred to Ministry of Internal Affairs. It, in its turn, has decided to reconstruct this building into the centre for illegal migrants who illegally stay at the territory of Ukraine. The chairman of State administration of Buiskiy district Mykhailo Vovk affirms that local community is strongly against and is ready to start the actions of protest. There are about half a hundred monuments of architecture and no museum there, the very this palace could be used for expositions. The archaeologists have found artefacts of 13-16^th century on the territory of the palace.

The member of Ukrainian Association of Amnesty International Nataliya Dulneva marked that centre for illegal migrants must correspond definite international standards; reconstruction of the palace is very expensive and difficult. The light and big rooms have to be in TAC, acceptable sanitary-hygienic conditions, territory for walks, as not criminals will be kept there but people with children and even sometimes the families.

Source: http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/events/1020967

“Svoboda” is dissatisfied by conditions of agreement on Readmission

All-Ukrainian association “Svoboda” calls Supreme Council for termination of Agreement with European Union on Readmission and it also starts action against illegal migration.

“During the last years about 7 million able-bodied Ukrainians left Ukraine, and about 7 million migrants from the countries like Africa, Asia and Caucasus came to Ukraine. We stop to be the hosts of our own land”, – coordinator of nationwide action against migration Andrei Illenko announces.

According to Agreement on Readmission with European Union from January 1, 2010 Ukraine is obliged to accept hundreds of thousand illegal migrants from EU who get there from the territory of Ukraine.

“These illegal migrants will be kept for our money and milliards of UAH from the state budget of Ukraine are not be allotted for the army, medicine or students’ grants, but for illegal migrants” – the member of “Svoboda” added.

“Experts has already calculated that next year Ukraine will get at least 150 000 illegal migrants from Central Asia and Africa. The majority of these migrants come to Ukraine by transit from Russia, Belarus or Caucasian countries, however Ukraine will not be able to return them there – these countries, unlike Ukraine, did not sign up Agreement on Readmission with EU” – head assistant of “Svoboda” Andrey Mohnik declares.

Moreover, according to his words, Ukraine is under obligation to accept alien illegal migrants as it has not concluded necessary agreements on readmission with those countries from which the flows of migrants come. According to this fact “Svoboda” demanded to terminate agreement between Ukraine and European Union on Readmission and also to pass Law about Citizenship according to which citizenship will be given only to those persons who are born in Ukraine or are ethnic Ukrainians returning from abroad. Besides, “Svoboda” is going to carry out action under the name Stop illegal migration! in 12 regional centres.

As it was announced, on January 15, 2008 Supreme Council ratified agreement between Ukraine and EU on Readmission. Agreement foresees the procedure of the persons’ return who did not implement the conditions of enter and stay on the territory of Ukraine or one of the state-members of EU, and also reduction of transit transportation of such persons into the countries of their origin.

Source: http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/1020438

In the course of four last days at Ukrainian-Slovakia border 22 refugees were arrested. They were three Georgians, three Russians, eight Moldavians, five Syrians and two refugees from Sri Lanka. It was announced in Administration of Border Police Sobrance that in the frames of governmental agreement about readmission, all refugees would be sent back to Ukraine. Besides, a guide of the group was detained. He is accused of smuggling and for the time being he is under inquest. The apprehended refugees got prohibition on enter Slovakian territory for three years.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/70127

11 illegal migrants are going to be expelled from Ukraine through the airport “Boryspil” who arrived to Kyiv by train “Uzhgorod-Kharkiv”. 6 citizens of Georgia, 3 from Vietnam, 1 Armenian and 1 Afghani will return home. These foreigners were detained during attempt to cross illegally state border of Ukraine in Transcarpathian region. The return ticket for the citizen of Afghanistan was bought at the expense of IOM. The rest 10 illegal migrants are expelled at the expenses of State Border Service. The cost of their flight comprises 33 thousand UAH. It should be mentioned that today violators of the border are not afraid neither of weather conditions worsening nor epidemiological situation in our state. Only during the day before about 30 persons were caught for attempts to cross the border illegally, mainly the citizens of Georgia and Moldova.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/70056

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is concerned about the fate of eight nationals of Afghanistan who were apprehended in Boryspil airport today while transiting to London. The group consisting of five minors (4-10 y.o.), one teenager and two women, including an elderly one (65 y.o.) is currently awaiting return in Boryspil airport.

The group stated to border guards of Ukraine as well as to the UN Refugee Agency that they are afraid of going back to the native country because of persecution and general security situation. According to the information received by the UN Refugee Agency directly from these people, they expressed their wish to seek asylum in Ukraine. Currently UNHCR is trying to obtain access to this group to assess their protection needs.

UNHCR believes these people should not be returned back to the country where their lives would be in danger.  The right to seek asylum is a fundamental human right, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, people asking for asylum should be allowed to stay and benefit from the fair status determination procedure. Sending back asylum seekers may amount to the violation of the non-refoulement principle envisaged by the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Ukraine acceded to this Convention without any reservations in 2002, thus undertook to provide international protection to refugees.

Source: http://www.unhcr.org.ua/news.php?in=1&news_id=175&lang=e