This paper presents the Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice’s stance on the EU Facilitators Package. We argue that smuggling is a direct symptom of the EU’s inhumane migration policies. Current frameworks, namely the Facilitation Directive and Europol Regulation, are harmful, deepening migrant criminalisation and endangering refugees, asylum seekers, and solidarity actors.

Therefore, any policy response must reverse this criminalisation and address the root causes of harm on migration routes. We call for the decriminalisation of migration and facilitation, the unwavering protection of the right to seek asylum, and a reallocation of EU funding from enforcement, detention, and surveillance towards migrant care and protection.