TIRANA, Dec. 21 – Police in the southeastern city of Vlora arrested five people for allegedly trying to set up an illegal human trafficking system by convincing would-be immigrants to travel from Albanian to Germany under promises they would be granted asylum.
Hundreds of Albanians, mainly from rural southern villages and towns filled a convoy of busses headed by ferry to Italy and then on to Germany.
They immediately raised red flags with Albanian border police, who turned them back before they violated Albania’s visa-free agreement with Schengen Area member countries.
The group were told by the traffickers that Germany would immediately accept their asylum requests, which is why hundreds of people had bought a 140-euro ticket to go there.
The five people arrested were charged with assisting illegal border crossing and falsification of documents. They were owners and managers of a travel agency in the nearby Fier region, where most of the travelers also came from.
Some of the travelers did manage to get through though, officials said. It is not known whether they have filed asylum requests at this time.
Both interior Minister Saimir Tahiri and German Ambassador to Tirana Helmut Hoffmann went to Vlora explaining to the would-be migrants any request for would be in vain.
Germany and other Northern European countries have given blanket denials after seeing a high number of people coming from the region to seek asylum. Serbia and Macedonia led the list, followed by Albania, Bosnia and Montenegro. Most of the asylum seekers come from the region’s poorest and most marginalized communities.
The topic is worrying for officials in the region however, as the European Union has warned that the visa free regime may be cancelled unless such number are reduced.
The European Parliament has also given the right to EU member countries to individually reinstall visa regime for any country should they think they are threatened from an influx of asylum seekers.
Albanian authorities have repeatedly called on Albanians to respect the laws and the rules for visiting EU member countries and not to file asylum requests because they will be turned down.
Albanians may stay 90 days in six months-time in EU countries without a visa. They are not allowed to work or draw on the social services provided by these countries. Should they break the rules, they are fined and receive a five-year ban.
“There is no way EU countries offer asylum,” said Minister Tahiri, adding that he would encourage citizens “to denounce deceivers or organizers of such crazy enterprises.”
The minister also said there is no fear that Albania is threatened with the reinstallation of the visa regime, adding they are continuously working with European partners for a free movement of the people.
