“Never has a closed border discouraged a migrant from crossing it, if despair, fear and danger or misery pushed him to do so,” the letter writes. European Parliament

“Never has a closed border discouraged a migrant from crossing it, if despair, fear and danger or misery pushed him to do so,” the letter writes. European Parliament

The letter from Asti was addressed to the president of the European Commission and former Luxembourg Prime Minister ahead of an EU meeting on migration in Malta on Friday.

It talked of the urgent need to resolve the situations of migrants who are forgotten "at the gates of Europe" along the Balkan route as well as the Mediterranean, where 5,083 people were reported drowned in 2016.

“Never has a closed border discouraged a migrant from crossing it, if despair, fear and danger or misery pushed him to do so,” the letter writes.

Drawing parallels with the massive displacement of Jewish people before and during WWII, Asti concludes by calling for a “genuine common asylum and immigration policy” and the creation of a European asylum law.

At the same time it wants to see the creation of legal channels for so-called economic migrants to reach Europe.

Asti's goals are to help and defend the rights of migrant workers in Luxembourg. 

It has assisted in the introduction of a number of services for asylum seekers and refugees, including The Connections, a service that helps migrants find work placements and build essential skills for finding a job.