Police say German man detained after 12 Iraqis are found in his van

[Robbien]

Source: International Herald Trib

Police in Austria say they have detained a German man on suspicion he tried to smuggle Iraqis into the country.

Police say the 54-year-old man, whose name was not released, was stopped late Monday while driving a van containing seven men, three women and two young children. They say he is suspected of receiving up to US$12,000 (€7,500) per person to smuggle them from Iraq to Germany. The incident occurred along the A13 highway connecting Austria and Italy through the Brenner Pass, a heavily used alpine route in the province of Tyrol.

The Iraqis were handed over to Italian authorities Tuesday. The alleged trafficker is due to appear before a judge in Innsbruck on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/15/europe/EU-Austria-Smuggled-Iraqis.php

[babylonsister]

1. I'd be curious to see how the authorities handle this. Were the

Iraqis trying to flee a war zone, or entering for nefarious purposes? If the former, will they be returned to Iraq? I guess we'll find out, or not.

[Dogtown]

4. This will be interesting, no doubt.

Perhaps we'll erect a border fence, to keep our Iraqi subjects where they belong.

Calls to mind the huge number of RW Vietnamese "camp follower" immigrants that followed our evacuation from VN. (No offense is meant to the legitimate escapees that emigrated here after the war, I'm only concerned with the obvious generals, secret police and informers that attached themselves to our exodus because they could no longer survive in the country they betrayed to the US.)

When/if we pull out of this immoral war, how many future-republican Iraqi quislings will swell the republican ranks?

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. So, now all Iraqis are bad?

Sounds like they were war refugees.

[Robbien]

5. This story is not unique. There are five million Iraqi refugees

There is a thriving business of smugglers taking money from Iraqis to get the Iraqis to a country who will accept refugees. There are many stories such as this one in the foreign press.

[comtec]

3. sounds more like a family to me...

at least whats left of their family :(
In my inburgering cursus (integration/immigration lessons) I've met more than my share of Iraqi's and Afghani's... you can not know how utterly heart breaking it is to know these decent people (one was guy with a masters? in geology - he used to work for the oil ministry) who have had E V E R Y T H I N G destroyed... and to know that your government is responsible.

being here has been soul crushing at times... especially since they don't blame me personally. They know my feelings about *, and they don't blame the American people in general. They understand dictators... if I was a drinking man I guarantee you I would have been drunk most nights!

[WriteDown]

6. This is Germany?

These guys are toast. Kind of like a group of Turks would be.

[slackmaster]

7. It seems funny reading about something like that happening in Europe

Having lived in extreme southwestern California most of my life.