In a joint statement, Amnesty International and 81 other civil society organisations express our concerns regarding the potential retention of Article 5 in the proposed EU Screening Regulation (one of key legislative files encompassing the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum) during trilogue negotiations.
This provision would extend the application of screening procedures not only to people apprehended at the borders, but to all undocumented individuals apprehended within the territories of member states. The screening will entail procedures where member states’ officials will carry out security and identity checks in facilities at the borders or other designated locations. In practice, this will imply detaining the person, or at least restricting their freedom of movement.
Screening of anyone suspected to be an undocumented migrant could have a broad and indiscriminate impact on racialised communities. This would create a hostile environment in which minorities and people of colour – whether they are EU citizens or individuals with regular or irregular residence status – would face heightened risk of being targeted by discriminatory controls and potentially detained without adequate safeguards.
In line with the European Parliament’s position, we recommend deleting this provision as it is likely to lead to the five scenarios, outlined in the following joint statement: