New Spanish law poses serious threat to right of asylum -
The approved text states that those who attempt to cross the border of Ceuta and Melilla without authorisation “will be rejected in order to prevent illegal immigration into Spain." Consequently, the concept of “rejection at the border” is codified into law, provided for in an amendment which seeks to legalise summary returns on the borders of Ceuta and Melilla. This concept of rejection at the border does not provide for any of the procedural safeguards laid down in Articles 20 and 22 of the Spanish Immigration Law (i.e. the right to an effective remedy, the right to appeal against administrative acts or the right to a lawyer and interpreter) and can violate the principle of non-refoulement (Article 57.6). Thus, the “rejection at the border” without any guarantees or proceedings poses a serious threat to the right of asylum as it justifies the immediate return of people who come to Ceuta and Melilla without first identifying people in need of international protection and of other vulnerable people. Furthermore, these people are returned to Morocco, a country that does not guarantee respect for their human rights nor access to international protection. This can result in a serious breach of the principle of non-refoulement, which dictates that no state may expel or return a person to a country where their lives and physical integrity would be put at risk.
▻http://ecre.org/component/content/article/70-weekly-bulletin-articles/1013-approval-of-new-law-on-public-security-poses-a-serious-threat-to-right-of
