75 - Going By Land: Crossing the River
2024 No 75
Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge…
—Numbers 35:10-11
Introduction
If you know much about Semitic culture, then cities of refuge make sense. The land of promise was supposed also to be a land of justice. However, human nature can quickly take over when bad things happen to good people. Emotions can run high, and judgment can be given before objective investigations occur. Crossing the river into the promised land was supposed to be an entrance into paradise.
But even the best situations can have their dark days. Persecution can come, even from those who are your countrymen, your best friends, or your closest family. God instructed the children of Israel to create places of refuge so people would have a place of safety when no other options were available. Today, international law dictates that each country create such spaces. People are supposed to be able to enter such a space and find security until objective minds can determine the truth. If safety is warranted, it is to be provided. If not, the person would be returned home to face their own realities.
Why sub-Saharans migrate has been the topic of this blog for well over a year. Many are looking for a place of security because they could not find it at home. As we have learned, those with the most money can go the furthest and do so in the greatest of comfort. Many sub-Saharans who arrive in Turkey are often caught off guard by how much better life can be. It is certainly different from their African homeland and is an almost immediate improvement for most. Not surprisingly, many will abandon their migratory goals and find a way to settle. Many, however, cannot turn loose from the dream. They have the resources and are convinced that life will be better if they can only get into Europe.
We have met PhD students with families in Turkey who tell us they will go to Europe if the opportunity arises. Why? One said to us that the Turks were racist, and he did not want to raise his son in such an environment. We tried to explain that this would not change in Greece and that his best opportunities lie in the community where he would get his degree and was already settled. But, he would not believe us. He was convinced he could take his wife and son across the Evros River between Turkey and Greece and find a “new” place of security. He is not alone in that belief.
The Pitch: What the Smugglers Say
Standing on a street corner in Istanbul, Edward begins the negotiations with a fellow African from the western country of Sierra Leone. They are working out the details of a journey that will take him west towards the city of Edirne on the Turkish/Greek border. According to the smuggler, a group will cross the Evros River in about two weeks. Arrangements have been made with Turkish border guards to facilitate the entry of about 20 migrants into Greece. Once on the other side, their counterparts will facilitate passage to Thessaloniki on the northwestern shore of the Aegean Sea. They can then catch a train to Athens. The total cost of the trip will be 5,000 euros. For even more money, they could go north across the Balkans.
Because this African smuggler is from Edward's home country, he has confidence that he is being given good information and that his chances of success will be high. He has heard that the Turkish government is negotiating with the European Union to restrict border crossings, but the deal has yet to be finalized. As long as there is a porous border on the Turkish side, the EU will have a greater incentive to concede to Turkey's demands. That means, at least for a season, that the crossing should be easier. However, if they wait too long, the deal may be signed, and Turkey would make it much harder to cross. It is a lot of money, but Edward knows that the price will only go up if he waits longer. The agreement was to pay one-third in advance, one-third when they arrived at the border, and the final third to the driver on the Greek side. After handing over the deposit, he began preparing for the journey.
His agent advised him to take very little for the trip. Because they would have to swim across the river, he should only carry what was necessary. He would dress in all dark clothing, helping to blend into the darkness. They knew there would be Greek border patrols, but their informant would monitor their movements and notify their Turkish counterparts of the best time to cross. Edward was also cautioned not to tell anyone of the plans, the date of departure, or how he would enter Greece. Spies were believed to be everywhere, and they were not to trust anyone.
On the day of departure, he met a cargo van at the designated point of departure, and they began the six-hour drive west. In total, there were about fifteen of them. They did not actually go to Edirne. They had just been given that location, so their actual departure point would not be compromised if anyone were to talk. They went to a town further south called Serem. There, the road on the Turkish side was very close to a major highway on the Greek side. The challenge was that the entire region was farmland. It was not an area where a panel truck from Istanbul full of Africans could go unnoticed. They drove in the daytime, making it look like the driver was making a routine delivery.
Their driver pulled off the road about a mile from the river in a secluded location. They could see a radio tower on the Greek side, and he told them there would be lights to guide their way after dark. They were given a phone number for their contact and instructed to call once they reached the river. Greek smugglers would then tell them when things were clear so they could swim across. Once on the other side, they were to hide in a ditch by the highway, where another van would pick them up. With that, they paid the second installment, watched their driver leave, and waited for dark. At this point, everything seemed to be going as planned.
The Reality: What the Immigrants Say
Smuggling networks function along two models. Most gain their clients by word of mouth. That means that the smugglers must take care of the migrants, and there must be a relatively high level of success. Information moves freely in migrant communities, meaning bad actors are easily identified and can be avoided. At the same time, the smugglers hold all the cards and can easily take advantage of the migrants. This is especially common with smaller operations that can rob one group of migrants and then lay low enough for the memory to blow over. It also happens in places of high migrant densities, where smugglers can switch to another part of town and set up shop again using a different front person. Edward had heard about these kinds of people and had been working with a group with a good reputation. He had spoken with several migrants on social media who had used this group and were successful.
Unfortunately, the entire affair is dark, dangerous, and filled with stories of failure. The reality between what is told/sold and what the migrants experience is often out of the control of the smugglers. Things can change quickly on both sides of the border, and the migrants understand and assume the risk. Additionally, African culture tends only to discuss the positives, and the risks are always diminished. They all knew it would be dangerous; they just prayed that their group would be successful. Ultimately, Edward would make it to Athens, but most in his group would not.
Once it was dark, the group began to make their way across the open fields to the river. What they should have anticipated was the mud. It had rained recently, and the ground was very soft and wet. It also had become a lot colder once the sun went down. During the day, the temperature was around seventy degrees (21c). But, that evening, it dropped to nearly forty degrees (7c). Needless to say, it was a miserably slow journey to the river, arriving much later than they anticipated. And… they had to be ever watchful for Turkish border patrols. When they reached the river, they realized things were about to get worse. The recent rains had swollen the river, making crossing much more challenging.
The problem was that if they crossed where the river was narrow, the current was very swift. If they crossed where it was wide, they would have to swim much further and risked being carried too far downstream. They compromised and decided to begin in a narrow section that flowed into a wider part of the river. They calculated that although the current was fast, they would be more than halfway across by the time they were pushed into the slow section. They called their contact, and he agreed with their plan. He informed them that the way was clear of Greek patrols and that they should go as quickly as possible.
They did not realize how fast or cold the water would be until they entered the river. It literally took their breath away and made it very difficult to swim. Some of the men could not swim very well, and the group was quickly separated. Edward reached the other side but found only two out of the original fifteen. And neither of them had the number to their Greek contact! They had agreed before entering the water that once on the other side, they would make their way to the ditch across from the radio tower and wait. With nothing else that they could do to help anyone, they followed the plan.
In the end, only eight made it to the designated pick-up point. Vehicles would pass them by, but everyone was afraid to expose themselves, fearing it would be the Greek border patrol. After about an hour, a van stopped, and the driver quietly called for them. By this time, the cold had set in, and they could hardly walk. They explained to the driver that other men were in their group, but he would not listen. He told them they must leave immediately or the police would discover them. He gave them blankets, and they left. Edward did not ever know what happened to the other men.
By the time they reached Thessaloniki, it was daylight. Edward and the other men were taken to an apartment and given food and warm clothes. They would stay there for a few days. Afterward, they would catch a train to Athens, where they would blend into the African immigrant population. Some of the men would apply for asylum, but that was a risky maneuver. If denied, they could be deported. But, having their name in the system also gave them a chance at some benefits and financial assistance. Edward remained anonymous, believing he could do better if the government did not know he was there. That way, if he got the chance, he could travel further into Europe and claim asylum in a better country. (Remember, once your name is registered, you must stay in that country until your asylum application is processed.) He was hoping for Germany.
The Other Men
We may never know what happened to the other men in the river. What we do know is that each year, over 120 bodies are recovered of those who drowned or died of hypothermia in the crossing.3 The land on both sides of the Evros River is open farmland. The ability of a migrant to get from the river to any larger city, on either the Greek or Turkish side, without being apprehended is nearly impossible. Without the help of a smuggler, one will always be captured.
How many are captured is very difficult to discern. The Greek government has reported that over 6,000 migrants successfully crossed the river in 2022. They also say that they arrested 1,300 smugglers and prevented 260,000 migrants from entering.4 If these numbers are remotely close to the truth, Greek border patrol intercepted a quarter of a million migrants trying to cross the Evros River last year. What happened to those “prevented” is unknown.
We also receive reports of what is called a “pushback.” This is a maneuver effected by government / military officials in an attempt to dissuade migration.5 Along the river, it has been reported that intercepted migrants have been relieved of their possessions, stripped of their clothes, and forced to swim back across the river to the Turkish side.6 Obviously, this violates international law, yet it is difficult to document, making it nearly impossible to prosecute. One can only assume that most of those intercepted above were returned to Turkey.
A Glimpse of the Realities7
Conclusion
As will become apparent in future posts, there are few Greek cities of refuge. The primary strategy and almost the only hope for migrants is to enter the country undetected and find their way to Athens. It is big enough where they can hide, and there are too many migrants to be rounded up and sent back. Most will know how to do this because there will be many similarities to their arrival in Istanbul. Find a place to stay, get a job, and save money for the next step.
The good news is that in many Greek cities, there are immigrant churches. These churches often provide a safe space for migrants to enter, to find rest, and to find hope. Many of these sub-Saharan migrants are believers and have come from communities of faith. Even though they profess Christ, they are not immune to making bad decisions. Justice is difficult to find on these migratory pathways, and redemption is rare. But in the house of our Lord, one can indeed find refuge.
1 Ifor Duncan and Stefanos Levidis, "Weaponizing a River", At the Border https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/at-the-border/325751/weaponizing-a-river/ (accessed November 7, 2023). In this heartbreaking article, Duncan and Levidis make the case that the river was intentionally flooded to inhibit crossings.
2 Mathew Bennett, "For African Migrants, Trek to Europe Brings Risk, Heartbreak", Voice of America https://www.voanews.com/a/ap-for-african-migrants-trek-to-europe-brings-risk-heartbreak/2695149.html (accessed November 7, 2023).
3 Marion MacGregor, "At the Evros Border, the Bodies Mount Up", InfoMigrants https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/48783/at-the-evros-border-the-bodies-mount-up#:~:text=It's not known exactly how,lost their lives last year. (accessed October 31, 2023).
4 InfoMigrants, "More Deaths on Eastern Mediterranean Route to Greece", Infomigrants https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/46216/more-deaths-on-eastern-mediterranean-route-to-greece#:~:text=The UN refugee agency said,as many as in 2021. (accessed October 31, 2023).
5 AlarmPhone, "Evros: The Brutal Face of the European Border Regime", Watch the Med https://alarmphone.org/en/2023/08/07/evros-the-brutal-face-of-the-european-border-regime/?post_type_release_type=post (accessed October 31, 2023).
6 Natasha Mellersh, "92 Migrants Found Naked and Bruised at Greece-Turkey Border", InfoMigrants https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/44041/92-migrants-found-naked-and-bruised-at-greeceturkey-border (accessed October 31, 2023). See also, InfoMigrants, "Beaten and Stripped, an Afgan Frontex Interpreter Accuses Greek Border Guards of Assault", InfoMigrants https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/37054/beaten-and-stripped-an-afghan-frontex-interpreter-accuses-greek-border-guards-of-assault (accessed October 31, 2023).
7 ARTE.tv Documentary, The Nameless Dead. ARTE.tvv, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx7EvoKHamA.