The Ethiopian nationals who are being detained and facing deportation after having lived and worked legally in Malta for years should be released immediately, the Migrants Commission, the Justice and Peace Commission and JRS Malta urged the authorities.
The two commissions, which form part of the Archdiocese of Malta, and JRS Malta are wholeheartedly condemning the recent arrest of several Ethiopian nationals, who were rounded up, detained and told they will be sent back to Ethiopia.
They called on all Members of Parliament, especially the Social Affairs Committee, to convene and discuss this matter with urgency so that in collaboration with civil society organisations they could find a solution that respected individual rights and safeguarded every member of our society.
The three entities also urged the authorities to create realistic pathways to regularisation for these Ethiopians and other individuals.
“We consider these recent actions to be unjust, indiscriminate and cruel and call upon the government to immediately release these individuals and to regularise their position,” the entities said in a joint statement.
The entities called on the authorities to heed the message of Pope Francis who during his General Audience yesterday dedicated his message to migrants and singled out the good Samaritans who did their utmost to rescue and save injured and abandoned migrants on the routes of desperate hope, in the five continents.
“These courageous men and women are a sign of a humanity that does not allow itself to be contaminated by the malign culture of indifference and rejection – it is our indifference and that attitude of rejection that kills migrants,” Pope Francis said.
The three entities said these Ethiopians were being targeted under the pretext of having come to Malta irregularly to seek asylum, which at the time was not granted. Despite this, most spent years — up to 17 years in some cases — living and working with the knowledge and authorisation of the authorities, who granted them employment licences, and residence permits.
Over the years they have contributed to society and become an integral part of the community, paying their taxes and social solidarity contributions.
“They are valued and trained employees, whose experience will be hard to replace. They are our neighbours, our colleagues, our friends, the people who greet us in the street, who care for our elderly relatives, and cleaned our hospital wards during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the entities said.
These incidents are the latest in a series of raids, which saw the lives of tens of migrants who had made Malta their home upended without warning and locked up, so that preparations can be made to send them to their country of origin.
Beyond the impact such actions had on these persons, it created a climate of fear and insecurity for members of society who over the past years contributed to everyone’s wellbeing. These actions are constant reminders by the State of how easily it can arbitrarily and indiscriminately trample over all the accomplishments these members of society achieved through their hard work and sacrifices.
“Such unjust practices and policies create fear and discrimination, and undermine the very fabric of our communities,” they said.
Quoting Pope Francis’s encyclical Fratelli Tutti, the Church entities said society should be built on respect, trust, solidarity and an acknowledgement of “the inalienable dignity of each human person regardless of origin, race or religion, and the supreme law of fraternal love”.