Statewatch | 16.02.2017
Statewatch press release, 16 February 2017: Also available as a pdf
Guidelines produced for border guards participating in an EU joint operation instruct the targeting of „migrants from minority ethnic groups, and individuals who may have been isolated or mistreated during their journey, as such people are often more willing to talk about their experiences.“ [1]
Written by the EU’s border agency, Frontex, the guidelines on the „debriefing of migrants for intelligence purposes“ were attached to the 2012 plan for Operation Hera, a Frontex-coordinated joint operation that was launched in 2006 to halt irregular migration by sea from north-west Africa to the Canary Islands. [2]
Debriefing officers were recommended to seek out potential interviewees as soon as possible after arrival: “Once arriving migrants integrate with others in the camp, there is a tendency for them to become more reluctant to cooperate.”