The network was estimated to have smuggled 100 people per day and is believed to have started operations in 2013, accumulating about $10m in revenues, The Hague-based agency said.
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A Greek lifeguard calls the attention of refugees and migrants approaching the island of Lesbos on a dinghy after crossing the Aegean sea from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, … The gang did everything from arranging transport to supplying forged travel documents.
The accused ringleader of the group was arrested in Liverpool, England.
A total of 22 other suspects, mainly of Syrian and Greek origin, were also held in Austria, Greece and Sweden.
“We demand that the court rules the decision on imposing mandatory quotas is invalid”, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
The decision to screen migrants based on nationality has drawn criticism from human rights groups that argue asylum requests should be treated on merit.
The migrants attempted to cross the border from Greece through a creek at a point not closed by the fence before Macedonian police pushed them back, according to AP.
Greece’s migration minister says his country has come under “intense pressure” from some European countries over the migration crisis, but he says that’s unfair.
The central European neighbours restated their opposition to German-led plans to cope with some 900,000 people who have arrived in Europe so far this year, as migrants again clashed with police on the border between Greece and Macedonia.
Last week the European Union (UE) agreed a £2.1billion deal, including £260m from Britain, with Turkey to bring them closer ties to the bloc in exchange for help in stemming the flow of migrants.
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In November, Hungarian Defense Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi announced that the country’s plans to sue the European Union in December over the quota system, adding that he expected other EU member states to follow the suit by lodging their own legal challenges.
