The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the United Nations' migration agency, has said in its latest release that the number of migrants and refugees who entered Europe via sea routes has seen a drastic reduction this year.
Data compiled by the agency until June 11 says that 73,189 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017. The corresponding figure for January-June 11 last year was 2,11,434 - almost three times the number this year.
Deepening anti-migrant and refugee sentiments in the wake of terror attacks in many European countries can be attributed to this drastic reduction.
Britain has seen three terror attacks in last four months, in which dozens of people lost their lives. There have been two major terror attacks in France and one in Sweden in 2017.
The series of terror attacks in Europe, which began with the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in January 2015, has continued unabated in France, Britain, Germany, Belgium and other European countries. And, in several of these attacks, migrants, refugees and their dependents have been found to be involved.
2015: CRISIS YEAR
In terms of migrant and refugee movement, 2015 was a crisis year that saw over a million people countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria try and enter Europe. According to European Union (EU) claims, there were 13,21,560 asylum claims in 2015.
The rush of migrants and refugees in 2015, said to the biggest wave of human crisis since the Second World War, created a pressure on many European countries, especially the smaller and economically weaker ones.
Though hostile signs were visible early on with countries like Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Czech Republic showing strong reservations, the European Commission settled down with a plan to distribute and relocate refugees among member states and set September 2017 as the deadline.
But, so far, only 21,000 asylum seekers have been relocated even as the EU threatens legal action against erring countries.
DECLINING NUMBERS
Coupled with terror incidents being attributed to migrants and refugees and an interlinked rise in hostility, 2016 saw a steep decline with 3,64,000 people seeking asylum in Europe.
Many European countries erected fences to prevent migrants. The Balkan route was shut down. The EU made a deal with Turkey to monitor and block the Aegean Sea route, the main route taken by asylum seekers to reach Europe via Greece.
Turkey, which happened to be the gateway for Syrian migrants to enter in Europe, sealed its border with Syria.
2017, it seems, is following last year's trend. The first six months of the year have seen just over 70,000 asylum seekers arrive in Europe via the sea and at thie rate, the number for the entire year is likely not going to be more than 1,50,000.
FAR-RIGHT
Emergence of right-wing and far-right leaders in several European countries and governments hostile to migrants and refugees has further exacerbated the crisis.
France's far-right politician Marine Le Pen emerged as the main political opposition in the country with 34 per cent vote during the recent presidential elections. Notably, the far-right was almost non-existent in France until a few years ago.
Le Pen is a strong critic of immigration. Germany's right-wing leaders have termed asylum seekers 'compost' while British PM Theresa May too hasn't shown a particular interest in refugees welfare.
Similarly, across the Atlantic, President Donald Trump has always had a strong anti-immigration voice, and has been trying hard to stop migrants and refugees entering into the US.
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