THE EXPERIENCE OF INDIVIDUAL EU COUNTRIES IN COMBATING ILLEGAL MIGRATION BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES

Abstract

The author analyzes the French experience in combating illegal migration, implementing large-scale amnesties by the French government for political reasons, and making a decision to legalize or regularize the situation of numerous illegal immigrants. For Italy, the strengthening of control over the Adriatic coast has led to a decrease in illegal migrants landing on the coast of southern Italy, but attempts to land on the island have increased significantly. Italy is one of those European countries that actively implement measures aimed at legalizing migrants. This proves that a significant number of illegal migrants has become a constant feature of immigration processes in Italy, including host countries of Southern Europe. The complex of Italian restrictive laws, involving amnesties and other liberal provisions which lead to a degradation of combating illegal immigration, is analyzed. Spain is considered one of the main European countries with the highest concentration of illegal immigrants on its borders. Amidst weak migration control, the presence of "porous" borders with neighboring states and other factors, the problem of illegal immigration – the unauthorized entry or stay of foreigners in Spain – has arisen. Illegal immigration to Spain is triggered by the immigration policy of the country itself. Based on analysis findings, a number of regions from which illegal immigrants come to Spain have been identified: North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and other African countries); Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, and Dominican Republic); Eastern Europe (Romania, Ukraine, and Poland); China and other countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The Spanish authorities have adopted a policy restricting some of the rights of immigrants: illegal immigrants no longer have any rights, including the right to strike or any other organized expression of protest, despite opposition from numerous human rights organizations. Spain has legalized some categories of migrants who have been living in the country for a long time and have not committed any crimes during this period. There are many that prompted not only Spain but also other EU states to adopt programs legalizing immigrants. The first, economic, consisted in the fact that with slowdown and the growth of unemployment in society, concern about the entry of foreigners into the labor market grew. The second reason is political: it arose when the number of illegals in the country turned out to be such that it became difficult to solve the relevant problem within the framework of standard procedures. New regulatory mechanisms in the immigration policy of Spain are also aimed at changing the habit of Spaniards to use the cheap labor of illegal workers. The powers of central and local executive authorities to detain and deport illegals have been expanded in Spain.