LONDON –
After days at sea making the risky crossing from West Africa to the Canary Islands, migrants typically face hours of questioning by Spanish authorities trying to identify — and detain — the drivers of the boats they came on.
But those drivers usually are neither the ringleaders nor profiteers, and they are being wrongfully charged under European Union counter-smuggling rules, nongovernmental organizations say.
This summer, as the European Parliament is expected to finalize its position on proposed updates to EU counter-smuggling legislation, those NGOs are warning that the proposals risk perpetuating injustices and fail to target criminal organizations.
