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After all, the EU did a deal with Turkey last year in which Turkey agreed to take back migrants who had made the short dash across the Aegean in return for European countries agreeing to take an equal number of Syrian refugees from camps in Turkey.

Yet as many British tourists who head to the Mediterranean over the next few weeks will discover, the Turkey deal has not ended the problem.

On other routes the migration continues apace. In just four days 9,000 migrants have arrived in Italy.

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Refugees and migrants wait to be rescued in the early hours of the morning off Lampedusa, Italy

Besides that, a new migration route has been established between Morocco and Spain, which over the past week has seen 1,000 arrivals.

We have to shut down the traffickers

Tragically, as in Greece, bodies are beginning to wash up on Spanish beaches.

Across the Mediterranean as a whole 2,000 are estimated to have drowned this year. We cannot go on tolerating this human tragedy.

As in Greece we must find a humane way of stopping people boarding boats in the first place. Italy yesterday made a start by threatening to close its ports to non-Italian-registered, migrant-carrying ships.

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Many of these vessels are operated by charities which, while well-meaning, are thoroughly misguided.

Italys move is certainly a beginning, although Europe needs a co-ordinated approach to go further still and shut down these migration routes.

It goes without saying that we can and must continue to do whatever we can to search for these boats and to rescue their human cargos.

But once migrants have been saved from the unseaworthy vessels they have boarded in North African countries they should in almost all cases be returned to the countries from whence they set sail.

What we must stop doing, on the other hand, is providing a ferry service across the Mediterranean.

What happens at the moment is that migrants saved from sinking boats a few miles off the North African coast are then being brought the rest of the way to Europe in safety.

By providing this service we are encouraging a criminal racket which has caused a huge number of deaths.

There are some in Britain who romanticise the great migration across the Mediterranean, who see the migrants as heroes who, if allowed to, will become enterprising and patriotic citizens of Europe.

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In some cases this is no doubt true but it shouldnt detract from the fact that the migration is run by criminal gangs who care not one jot for their victims.

We will tackle these traffickers only by closing down their business. Instead we are colluding with them. There is another common fallacy that all those who attempt to make it to Europe are refugees.

Some arriving from Syria or the lawless parts of chaotic, post-Gaddafi Libya certainly do deserve that description.

Others may have started their journeys as refugees in places such as Somalia. But many others are more accurately described as economic migrants.

Some of those arriving in Spain in recent months are reported to have come from Senegal, which is one of the most stable African countries.

Of course many Senegalese could improve their lives and their health by migrating to European countries which offer a far better standard of living.

But that is no basis for claiming asylum, which is supposed to be for people who are genuinely fleeing in fear of their lives.

If we did recognise the right of people to settle wherever they liked, and to enjoy the full rights of citizenship, including access to welfare and healthcare, Europe would very quickly be overwhelmed. And while economic migrants were allowed to pursue a better life, genuine refugees would be forgotten.

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Aid workers help migrants up the shore after making the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Sikaminias, Greece

Ferrying migrants across the Mediterranean might be helping some refugees lucky enough to survive journeys in traffickers boats but for too long Europe has been looking at the refugee problem from the wrong end of the telescope.

The debate has become fixated on people crossing the Mediterranean and indeed the English Channel when we should really be asking what more could we do to help refugees much closer to the source of the problem.

Throughout the Syrian crisis Britain has followed by far the most logical and humane approach of any European country.

We have contributed far more than any other to the running of refugee camps in countries bordering Syria, while at the same time erecting barriers to discourage migrant flows into Britain.

There is a lot more that Europe could be doing to help refugees. Disgracefully the UN Food Programme had to reduce its operations in Lebanon for want of donations from wealthy countries.

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We could certainly take more refugees from Syria but we should take them directly from camps in the Middle East.

That way we ensure we are really helping refugees, not economic migrants, and also discourage the people traffickers.

Last year in its deal with Turkey the EU finally caught up with the logic. It is high time it went further and closed down the lethal trade in migrants across the Mediterranean for good.

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Europe's attempts to solve migrant crisis are failing, says ROSS CLARK - Express.co.uk

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Mr Juncker described both countries as heroic and promised to step up efforts to help them tackle the crisis which is again threatening to explode out of control.

He was speaking after Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni demanded urgent help to manage the Mediterranean asylum-seeker crisis which is stretching cash-strapped southern European countries to their limits.

Mr Gentiloni said: "We are under pressure and we ask for a concrete contribution from the Europeans.

"Italy has never ducked its commitments and it does not intend to do so.

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But we call for a discussion of the role of the NGOs rescuing asylum seekers at sea, the Frontex mission and the resources available to work in Libya and other African countries".

Italy has taken formal steps to protest against the lack of emergency support from Brussels and warned foreign ships may be stopped from docking in Italian ports unless the situation improves.

Rome said the massive migrant influx, with its impact on social and political life, was "unsustainable" and "at the limit" after over 12,000 migrants landed within 48 hours.

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Together we must make an effort to support these two heroic nations

Jean-Claude Juncker

An Italian government official said: "The idea of blocking humanitarian ships flying foreign flags from returning to Italian ports has been discussed. Italy has reached saturation point."

Mr Juncker tried to head off a full-blown row by hailing Italy and Greece for their efforts to cope with the crisis.

He told a press conference in Berlin: For some time we in the Commission have been convinced that we cannot abandon Italy or Greece.

"Together we must make an effort to support these two heroic nations."

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Refugees and migrants wait to be rescued in the early hours of the morning off Lampedusa, Italy

An estimated 10,000 people are believed to have attempted the journey from North Africa in the past week.

More than 73,000 migrants have landed in Italy this year, an increase of 14 per cent on the same period last year.

On Thursday Spanish ship Rio Segura arrived at the Italian port of Salerno with 1,216 migrants on board, double the number expected and allowed.

Migrants on board included 11 pregnant women, 256 children and 13 babies.

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Greece & Italy are 'heroic' Shameless Juncker tries to woo nations to dodge migrant crisis - Express.co.uk

In his newly released book, The New Migration to Europe, the German historian has analysedthe current immigration trends in Germany and the exploding demographic growth in Africa and the Middle East, concluding the next migrant crisis is only a matter of time,Kronen Zeitung reports.

We are not prepared for migration, Schwarz said and claimed that the current legislation dealing with asylum seekers in Europe is from another time.

He said the legislation, which was meant to be able to deal with small numbers of asylum seekers, is simply inefficient in handling mass waves of thousands of migrants at a time.

As long as the European Union abides by its well-intentioned but out of date refugee rights, any attempt to effectively protect the EUs external borders will fail due to legal self-restraint, he said.

Schwarz laid the blame for the crisis on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German federal government. Never before in the 65 years of German history has a federal government caused such chaos, he said and noted that if it had not been for the Austrian government closing the Balkan route the chaos would have continued.

The solution to the problem, according to Schwarz, is to reform the EU and largely scrap the open-bordersSchengen agreement, opting instead for some border controls.

Managing the number of migrants is also important and Schwarz recommended the number of asylum seekers never grow to more than 1.5 per cent of the population of a country. In 2015 alone, Sweden took in the equivalent of 1.6 per cent of its population and Germany took around 1.2 per cent.

Though the Balkan migrant route has been largely secured, the Mediterranean route into Italy and Spain continues to grow. In a 48-hour period, Italy saw 13,500 migrants arrive on its shores and days before 400 migrants attempted to storm the border with France.

Estimates of how many migrants are looking to cross the sea to Europe vary, though some likeEuropean Parliament President Antonio Tajani say as many as 30 million people could come in the next few years.

A leaked report from German authorities estimated a smaller number saying they expected around 6.6 million migrants to cross the sea in coming years from North Africa, Jordan, and Turkey. The confidential report notes that despite it being closed, thereare 76,000 migrants still on the Balkan route,62,500 of them in Greece alone.

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Peter, 55, and Jill Stubbs, 57, were reportedly targeted by a dozen robbers as they were stuck in traffic en route home from a holiday in the south of France, the Sun reports.

They were briefly unable to escape as their black BMW was surrounded by three other vehicles and motorbikes held up the traffic.

Two men on foot allegedly began circling them with one carrying a gun or knife approached the drivers side.

The second then used a brick to smash the passenger window before leaning in and grabbing Jills bag.

Jill, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was left covered in glass after the robbers smashed the front window.

The couple from Cornwall managed to escape by driving down a side road near Saint-Denis on Saturday night.

Peter, a father-of-five, said: It all happened so quickly. We are lucky because it could have been much worse. I thought they might smash in all the windows and take the car or hurt us.

I still cant believe the police wouldnt help us and nobody came to our aid.

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Aid workers help migrants up the shore after making the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Sikaminias, Greece

I thought they might smash in all the windows and take the car or hurt us.

Peter Stubbs, 55, driver of the ambushed car

Calais border officials explained to the shock-ridden couple why they were targeted amidst a cue of cars in traffic.

The officials reportedly said they were targeted for their number plate rather than their possessions which included a handbag containing passports, 400 and the equivalent of 300 in Euros.

Peter added: We managed to get back to the Euro tunnel but my wife was covered in glass.

We were really shook up. When we go to border control we explained what happened and were told it is very common.

I said to him, Ive got a new car, its a BMW but he told me its not your car theyre after, its your number plate, you were targeted by migrants because youre British and they want to get into the country.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke condemned the shocking attack, saying: We cannot have a situation where Brits are being targeted by ruthless people traffickers whether it be in Paris or Calais.

Thats why its more important than ever that our borders are strong and secure particularly at the Dover frontline.

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Migrant crisis: 'Migrant gang' ambush couple in Paris for UK car reg ... - Express.co.uk

An illegal immigrant who found himself detained and turned over to federal immigration authorities is poised to collect $190,000 from the city of San Francisco, according to KPIX-5.

The TV station reported that city lawyers have agreed to pay the settlement to Pedro Figueroa-Zarceno, a native of El Salvador who sued, alleging the city violated its sanctuary policy by alerting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The citys Board of Supervisors still must approve the deal, but there does not appear to be much opposition.

It is a powerful reminder that even as the House of Representatives on Thursday passed a pair of measures to crack down on sanctuary policies and increase penalties for repeat illegal immigrants with criminal records, progressive cities such asSan Francisco are zooming in the opposite direction.

"That is beyond backwards. That is perverse," said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies. "Talk about an incentive to come here illegally. I just can't wrap my head around that."

It is unclear how much San Francisco has paid on litigation costs associated with its sanctuary executive order. The Immigration Reform Law Institute, the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the city denied its open records request on attorney-client grounds.

San Francisco adopted its sanctuary policy in 1989, becoming one of the first jurisdictions in the country to prohibit police from cooperating with federal officials on immigration enforcement.

Yet when Figueroa-Zarceno went to the police station in December 2015 to recover his stolen car, someone tipped off ICE. He found himself detained for two months, marked for deportation. Officials, in fact, had issued a civil deportation order back in 2005, according to KPIX.

Figueroa-Zarceno is fighting his deportation and has a hearing date in 2019, according to the TV station.

"There's an insanity in California that is just unfathomable."

KPIX also reported that the police department is promising "serious consequences" if it determines any officer violated policies and procedures. John Cot, a spokesman for San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, told the news outlet that sanctuary policies foster trust between law enforcement officers and residents.

"This proposed settlement is a fair resolution for all of the parties involved," he said.

Joseph Guzzardi, a spokesman for Californians for Population Stabilization, ripped San Francisco's decision to agree to a six-figure settlement with a man who is not even in the country legally.

"It just goes to show the extent to which San Francisco city officials are willing to go to support their own sanctuary policies," he said. "It's completely and totally an assault on taxpayers and not justifiable in any way."

David Cross, a spokesman for Oregonians for Immigration Reform, agreed.

"There's an insanity in California that is just unfathomable," he said.

The settlement even drew comments during the House debate over the immigration bills. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who sponsored both bills, said it is disappointing San Francisco would pay an illegal immigrant considering the city was the location of the shooting death two years ago of tourist Kate Steinle, allegedly at the hands of another illegal immigrant.

"People who are murdered, people who are injured by people who are unlawfully present in the United States, should have their day in court with the city of San Francisco or anyplace else," he said.

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San Francisco Poised to Pay $190000 to Illegal Immigrant - LifeZette