Fundamental rights at airports

124 Pages·2014·2.24 MB·English

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ECHR European Convention on Human Rights
ECtHR European Court of Human Rights
EEA European Economic Area
doi:10.2811/68441 The report examines the procedures for and conduct of checks that border guards carry out on third-country Fun EU European Union
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t at fi ve international airports punishment (Article 4); the right to liberty
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e E and security (Article 6); respect for private
u and family life (Article 7); the protection of
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p personal data (Article 8); the right to asylum
e in the European Union
a and protection in the event of removal,
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U expulsion or extradition (Articles 18 and 19);
n
io non-discrimination (Article 21); the rights of the
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child (Article 24); the right to good administration
(Article 41), and the right to an effective
remedy (Article 47).
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Fundamental rights
at airports: border checks
at five international airports
in the European Union

Foreword
International airports are the main entry point for third-country nationals to the European Union (EU). Every
year hundreds of million passengers arrive at international airports in the EU. At the border, all passengers
undergo entry checks which must comply with fundamental rights. These checks are also an important oppor-
tunity to identify persons requiring protection.
This FRA report is about the treatment of third-country national passengers during entry checks to the EU at
fi ve large international airports. It covers the tasks of border guards, who are the fi rst point of contact with
passengers coming to the EU. The report deals with the main fundamental rights issues that may emerge in
the context of entry checks. It highlights a number of concrete measures that border management authorities
can take to address specifi c challenges identifi ed by this research.
With its fi ndings, the report draws attention to the fact that fundamental rights safeguards are part and parcel
of EU legislation on border checks and thus subject to regular evaluations, such as the Schengen evaluation
mechanism. It also points out issues that border management authorities could pursue in their cooperation
with Frontex. More generally, it is intended to give practitioners at borders ideas on how to deal with the fun-
damental rights challenges affecting passengers at airports.
Morten Kjaerum
Director
3

Contents
FOREWORD .........................................................................................................................................................3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................7
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................13
1 HUMAN DIGNITY...........................................................................................................................................25
1.1. Facilities ..........................................................................................................................................26
1.2. Treatment of third-country national passengers .....................................................................30
1.3. Searches .........................................................................................................................................35
1.4. Access to food, water and basic healthcare .............................................................................39
Conclusions ..............................................................................................................................................41
2 NON-DISCRIMINATION .................................................................................................................................43
2.1. Selection of fl ights ........................................................................................................................44
2.2. Selection of passengers ...............................................................................................................44
2.3. Perceptions of discriminatory treatment ..................................................................................47
Conclusions ..............................................................................................................................................47
3 IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL OF PERSONS IN NEED OF PROTECTION ...............................................49
3.1. Persons seeking international protection .................................................................................49
3.2. Presumed victims of human traffi cking ....................................................................................54
3.3. Children at risk ...............................................................................................................................60
3.4. Access to protection for persons with false documents ........................................................68
Conclusions ..............................................................................................................................................69
4 RIGHT TO AN EFFECTIVE REMEDY ...............................................................................................................73
4.1. Complaints about the conduct of border checks .....................................................................74
4.2. Appeals against non-admission ..................................................................................................76
4.3. Appeals against the rejection of an asylum claim ...................................................................83
4.4. Appeals against placement in a holding facility ......................................................................86
Conclusions ..............................................................................................................................................86
5 DATA PROTECTION ........................................................................................................................................89
5.1. Confi dentiality during checks ......................................................................................................90
5.2. Databases used at the border .....................................................................................................91
Conclusions ..............................................................................................................................................94
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................97
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................................99
ANNEX 1: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................107
ANNEX 2: BORDER GUARD QUESTIONNAIRE .................................................................................................109
5

Executive summary
This report focuses on the tasks of border guards shows that passengers may, nonetheless, perceive
during entry checks of third-country national pas- discrimination, particularly if they do not know the
sengers at fi ve international airports in the Euro- purpose of and procedure for the check. Risk anal-
pean Union (EU). It aims to give visibility to the yses focus on irregular migration and include few
fundamental rights issues that emerge in the con- indicators related to persons at risk.
text of border checks at airports, which have so far
received little attention. The identifi cation of persons in need of protection
is a crucial element of border checks. Identifi ca-
The majority of third-country nationals who arrive tion appears to be most successful if pursued pro-
at international airports are admitted to the EU, actively at all stages of the border check. Efforts
although some only after undergoing extended should therefore be made to improve the prioritisa-
second-line checks. Others may be in need of tion of tasks related to identifi cation and referral, for
international protection and are referred to pro- example by improving the assessment of individual
tection services. A small number are rejected after circumstances and providing additional training and
a detailed check of the entry requirements. They guidance on identifi cation procedures. Offi cers’
may be held in transit or in a special facility until responsiveness to signs of protection needs which
all issues are resolved, the decision to refuse entry passengers do not explicitly state appears to be low
is fi nal and a return fl ight is available. These oper- and they tend to rely on specialised teams or ser-
ational border management tasks raise questions vices to identify such needs.
about how fundamental rights – such as the right to
human dignity, non-discrimination, the prohibition Asylum seekers are generally expected to identify
of traffi cking in human beings, the right to asylum, themselves as such. Unless offi cers are adequately
the rights of the child, the right to an effective rem- trained and on the alert, persons in need of protec-
edy and the right to the protection of personal data tion may pass unnoticed or be referred incorrectly,
– are applied in practice. particularly if they receive insuffi cient information
during the checks.
Passengers’ human dignity may be affected at
several stages of the border check: for example, Ensuring access to protection for victims of traf-
while waiting for fi rst- or second-line checks, while fi cking is still more diffi cult, as victims may distrust
being held in holding rooms or short-term holding the authorities or be unaware of their situation and/
facilities, upon refusal of entry or during searches. or rights. In addition, entry requirements (work per-
Airport facilities to accommodate passengers are mit, visa, etc.) are often in order. Successful iden-
not always available or appropriate, particularly for tifi cation thus hinges on offi cers’ observation and
families with children. Facilities ensuring privacy communication skills, their experience and the
during detailed checks are not always at hand either, intelligence received. At several airports, however,
which presents a challenge when searches are nec- offi cers do not receive specifi c guidance on the
essary. The conduct of searches did not raise strong identifi cation of human traffi cking victims. Referral
concerns, although sensitivity to gender issues of presumed victims may be diffi cult if there is no
could be improved. At EU level, little guidance on referral mechanism at national level to which the
the proportionality and conduct of searches exists. airport can connect.
Language training for offi cers at most airports has
been subject to budget cuts, although such training The issue of children at risk raises many concerns.
would improve their ability to communicate with For border guards, the child’s behaviour and state-
passengers, facilitate correct initial referrals and ments are crucial indicators of his or her protection
avoid unnecessary second-line checks. needs. Identifi cation thus depends on the quality
of a guard’s interaction with the child. The research
The right to non-discrimination prohibits the use also found that not all offi cers inform children of
of systematic discriminatory patterns of profi ling. their rights in a way that they can understand, nor
At the fi rst line, behavioural analysis is a key factor do they contact protection services immediately or,
in deciding which individual passengers to select in some cases, at all. Initial decisions regarding the
for more detailed second-line checks. Ethnicity child – concerning applicable procedures and imme-
and nationality are important additional criteria, diate placement, for example – are usually taken at
but they are not necessarily more important than the second line. Therefore, effective mechanisms to
destination and place of embarkation. The research safeguard the child’s best interests must be in place
7
Fundamental rights at airports
at this stage. Regular training on dealing with chil- procedures. This prevents third-country nationals
dren is limited at most airports although a majority from fully exercising their rights. Although free
of offi cers would consider this useful for their work. legal counselling for appeal procedures is available
in principle under certain conditions, its availabil-
The right to effective remedy, in other words to ity and quality may be compromised as a result of
lodge a complaint and challenge a decision, is rel- practical obstacles such as capacity limits, restric-
evant in four airport entry check situations: com- tions on visits to holding facilities or requirements
plaints about the conduct of a border check, appeals for prior means and merit tests.
against a decision to refuse entry, appeals against
the rejection at the airport of an asylum claim and Border checks necessarily entail the verifi cation
appeals against placement in a holding facility. of personal data, including alphanumeric and pos-
Access to information is an essential prerequisite sibly biometric data, such as fi ngerprints or facial
and was often found to be compromised. Many images. The collection, use and storage of such data
offi cers do not inform passengers of the purpose must be carried out in accordance with data pro-
and procedure of the second-line check, meaning tection principles, including the right to private and
that many passengers do not understand why they family life. The use of several databases at differ-
are being checked, the next steps in the process or ent stages of the border check increases the risk
their related rights. Where passengers’ access to of data protection violations. Passengers may not
communication with the outside world, for example always be aware of the type of data processed, the
through the use of a mobile phone, is limited, this purpose of this processing or how to have their data
often makes it more diffi cult for them to produce the corrected. Moreover, offi cers often rely on other
documentation required for entry. Interpretation is passengers as interpreters if they encounter fi rst-
not always available on time and provided by pub- line communication diffi culties. All this requires
licly certifi ed interpreters. Even leaving aside lan- that offi cers understand what constitutes personal
guage diffi culties, information on appeals options data and how to protect them. Regular training on
is limited and/or hard to understand because of data protection is, however, available to differing
diffi cult legal language and the complexity of the extents at the airports.
8