Despite Spending Billions, the EU is Failing to Deter Illegal Crossings from Africa

The European Union is failing to deter illegal immigrants from Africa and could do more to limit abuses against people trying to make the journey, the EU’s financial watchdog warned on Sept. 25. The findings were presented in a European Court of Auditors report into the EU’s Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, a multi-billion-euro program hastily set up in 2015 after more than 1 million illegal immigrants arrived in Europe. This influx overwhelmed services in Italy and Greece, sparking Europe-wide calls for something to be done to deal with the arrivals. The Emergency Trust Fund was meant to help tackle the root causes of migration in Africa, such as poverty, conflict or unemployment....