An Australian Government crackdown on human trafficking that began in 2013 has led to the arrest of more than 600 people smugglers, the country’s immigration minister has revealed.
Announcing details of Operation Sovereign Borders, Peter Dutton said the controversial policy had saved lives and had not resulted in a single death while he had been in the job.
The operation, which started in September 2013, has proved instrumental in significantly cutting the number of migrants arriving in Australia by boat, which remained high under previous Labor administrations.
Prior to the beginning of the crackdown, which was introduced as part of the Turnbull Government’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal immigration, as many as 50,000 would-be asylum seekers are thought to have travelled to Australia on more than 800 smugglers boats over the previous five years.
It is estimated that hundreds more, many of whom had attempted to make the journey from the Middle East, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, perished at sea while trying to make the treacherous journey to Australia by boat.
The AFP news agency quotes Dutton as saying: “People smugglers are an evil scourge who are looking for innocent men, women and children to take money from them.
“They don’t care whether they make Australian land or go to the bottom of the ocean.”
The Australian Government has prioritised the targeting of organised criminal groups behind the hugely lucrative people smuggling business that target the country’s shores, and has committed to turning back any boats that approach its coastline without a visa to their country of departure.
Operation Sovereign Borders involves army boats patrolling Australian waters in a bid to intercept migrant vessels.
Once identified, the boats are either towed back to their point of departure, or illegal migrants are placed on dinghies or lifeboats to be transported back to their country of origin.
While critics on the left have slammed the crackdown as inhumane, others have suggested Australia’s zero-tolerance response to illegal immigration could be used as a model to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe.
Supporters of the policy argue that while it may be tough, it prevents people smuggling gangs from profiting from the misery of illegal migrants, while at the same time discouraging would-be asylum seekers from travelling, resulting in fewer deaths at sea.
In a statement issued in July last year, Dutton said: “Settlement in Australia will never be an option for people who attempt to travel illegally by boat. There are no exceptions.
“Intelligence tells us that we must remain resolute because people smugglers are continuing to work hard to convince vulnerable people to get on unsafe people smuggling boats.”
SOURCE: Illicit Trade
