Illegal immigration to the test of the health crisis

What they have in common is this irrepressible desire to leave for Europe. They no longer have passports and are ready to build a new life, even if it has to be done illegally. Those who refuse these paper identities are called harraga in the Maghreb. These "hotheads" have, for the most part, nothing left to lose but their lives, which they consider meaningless and which they are ready to sacrifice in makeshift boats. 

Since the health crisis, Europe has closed its borders to non-EU countries and even legal travel channels have been curtailed, as visas have not been issued for a year. Yet attempts at illegal migration have never stopped. The channels of illegality are inexhaustible and the health crisis seems to be redrawing the contours of migration routes. In Algeria, for example, simultaneous departures were organised last year to increase the chances of reaching the European coasts and especially the Iberian coasts. 

According to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, 11,200 Algerian migrants reached the Spanish coast in 2020 while 231 others died in the Mediterranean. 

On the Atlantic side, with migration mainly from Morocco, Senegal and Niger, 2,170 people lost their lives during their journey to the Spanish coast. 

In the African countries that share a maritime space with Europe, immigration seems to be within reach, but the sea has not ceased to swallow up the dreams of departure of the candidates for the journey. The number of deaths during these crossings has risen by 143% compared to 2019. Moreover, according to Frontex, the number of illegal migrants trying to cross into the European Union fell by 13% last year to around 124,000. This means that the chances of reaching Europe are minimal. However, the health crisis only partly explains the drop in these figures. In 2019, Algeria experienced the Hirak protest movement which not only led to the departure of President Bouteflika but also gave a lot of hope to young people who believed in a better future, but this time in their own country. 

If the death figures are alarming, they fall short of reality. Several clandestine boats that left Algerian coastal towns are still missing. In terms of the volume of arrivals in Spain, Algerians lead the way despite travel restrictions and the health crisis. 

In the largest country of the Maghreb, illegal immigration is part of the daily life of many young people. "We'd rather be food for the fish than decomposed by earthworms," they say.  This phrase, which is repeated on every occasion, has become the mantra of these desperate young people. 

A whole literature of exile has been built around this theme.The songs praising the departure are real hits in Algeria and a success machine as they reach a large section of society.

Y a el babor y a mon amour (Oh boat, my love) has become the anthem of the harraga. The very name of the now famous singer, Reda Taliani, refers to his years spent in Italy which made him the regular singer of the genre. The no less famous Cheb Khaled also lent his voice to the underground and their despair. In France we have seen the emergence of rap by undocumented migrants...

The song became the epitaph of those who died at sea.

The year 2020 was also the year of the craze for the Canary Islands. 45 shipwrecks on this route have been recorded and 18,000 people have been rescued. These massive arrivals - given the size of the islands - have become a real social and political challenge for the region. In these times of covid, the economic crises have finally convinced the most reluctant to leave their countries.

Europe, for its part, is relentlessly tracking down illegal boats. 

In France and since 1 December last year, it has been decided to "make it impossible to cross the Channel". Paris and London have concluded an agreement that provides for the doubling of French patrols and the installation of radars and surveillance drones. 

Meanwhile, the most wretched among us continue to die at sea...