Invisible Walls: How AI Tech at Europe’s Borders Threatens People Seeking Refuge
At 5 AM on a chilly winter morning in 2022, a group of migrants were preparing an inflatable boat to cross the Evros River that forms the land border separating Turkey and Greece. After battling the strong current, they managed to reach EU soil and hide in the thick vegetation near the river bank – unaware that they had been under constant Greek surveillance long before they had even left Turkish soil.
Shortly after the group emerged from their hiding spot, they were ambushed by a special unit of the Greek police dispatched there after an alert from the Automated Border Surveillance System that Athens has installed and is continuously upgrading in the region.
Now covering much of the border described by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as Europe’s “shield”, this system can look deep into Turkish territory, boasting a range of up to 15 km, significantly enhancing pre-frontier surveillance for Greece and the EU.
The incident, detailed in a police record obtained during this investigation, illustrates Greece’s and Europe’s growing reliance on technology to secure their borders and curb irregular migration.
