An Iraqi migrant who travelled through multiple European countries hidden inside a locked compartment in a lorry said he feared he would die during the journey, describing the risks faced by people using smuggling networks to reach Western Europe amid ongoing instability and economic hardship in parts of the Middle East.

The man, said he fled Iraq after receiving threats and later attempted to reach the United Kingdom through irregular migration routes operated by smugglers.

His testimony offers a detailed account of the conditions migrants can face while attempting clandestine crossings between mainland Europe and Britain, a route that has remained under close scrutiny by European authorities.

According to the account, the migrant travelled with minimal belongings, carrying only a small backpack containing spare clothes and a mobile phone. He said the phone was intended as a last resort to contact police if smugglers abandoned him inside the concealed compartment.

The man said he and another migrant were locked inside a box-like space within a lorry for approximately 12 hours while travelling toward the French port city of Calais, one of the principal staging points for irregular crossings to Britain.

He described the conditions as physically severe, saying there was no opportunity to eat, drink or use a toilet during the journey.“After they get your money, smugglers don’t care if you live or die,” he said, describing the experience of relying on trafficking networks to move across borders.

European law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned about the dangers associated with human smuggling operations. Europol and British authorities have documented cases in recent years in which migrants concealed in freight vehicles suffered dehydration, hypothermia and suffocation during cross-border journeys.

The English Channel route has become one of Europe’s most politically sensitive migration corridors, with governments in Britain and France increasing enforcement efforts against organised smuggling groups.The migrant said that by the time the lorry reached Calais and the compartment was opened, he felt close to death and was suffering from severely frozen feet.

He said the experience convinced him never again to attempt travel hidden inside a freight vehicle.After arriving in France, the man said the driver ordered the migrants to leave immediately.

According to his account, the second migrant went to stay with relatives, while he decided to continue travelling because he believed he remained at risk in France due to alleged connections between smugglers and individuals who had threatened him in Iraq.He later travelled by train through France and onward to Italy, where he is currently residing.

The migrant said he chose the region because he had heard it was easier there to obtain documents allowing legal employment.The account reflects broader migration patterns across southern Europe, where many asylum seekers and undocumented migrants seek temporary residence while attempting to secure work permits or asylum protections.

Italy remains one of the main entry and transit countries for migrants arriving in Europe through Mediterranean and overland routes.The migrant said he is still unable to work legally because he has not yet received the necessary documentation.

He described struggling financially and dealing with depression while attempting to establish stability in Europe.Despite the difficulties, he said his long-term objective remains returning legally to Britain, where he hopes to open a barber shop and live permanently through regular employment and tax-paying work.

He said he wants “a safe, legal and normal life.”His account also referenced the deteriorating security situation in his home region. He said his city in Iraq had recently been targeted by drones during regional hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States, which he said reinforced his belief that returning home would be unsafe.

Iraq has experienced periodic regional spillover from broader Middle East tensions, including drone and missile incidents linked to conflicts involving Iran-backed groups, Israeli military operations and U.S. regional deployments.

Security analysts have noted that renewed instability has contributed to continued outward migration pressures among some Iraqis, particularly younger people facing insecurity, unemployment and political uncertainty.

European governments have continued to tighten migration enforcement policies while simultaneously expanding efforts to dismantle organised smuggling networks operating across the continent. British authorities have increased cooperation with France and other European states to target criminal groups facilitating irregular Channel crossings, while rights organisations have argued that limited legal migration pathways continue to push vulnerable people toward dangerous alternatives.

Humanitarian organisations working with migrants in northern France and southern Europe have repeatedly warned that irregular migrants often face exploitation, violence and unsafe transportation methods while attempting to move between countries.

Aid groups say many migrants continue to undertake such journeys despite the risks because they believe they have limited alternatives.

The migrant’s testimony underscores the personal risks associated with clandestine migration routes that continue to operate across Europe despite intensified policing and border enforcement measures.

Croatian authorities said the group was discovered near the village of Donje Prilisce, about 70 kilometers southwest of the capital Zagreb. Thirteen additional migrants were taken into custody and transferred to a detention facility.

Police said the individuals were allegedly transported by truck and abandoned near the border by a suspected smuggler who fled the scene. The cause of death was not immediately confirmed, and an investigation is ongoing.

Croatia, a member of the European Union, is a key transit point along the Balkan migration route used by people attempting to reach Western Europe.According to the Frontex, more than 12,500 migrants used the route in 2025.

The International Organization for Migration has reported that over 400 people have died or gone missing along this corridor since 2014.Recent incidents highlight the risks faced by migrants on the route.

Earlier this year, a migrant died after a boat capsized while crossing from Bosnia into Croatia, while last month authorities rescued 30 people stranded in a marsh near the same border.

The victims were among 82 people packed onto the vessel, which became stranded on a beach at Neufchatel-Hardelot, around 12 kilometers (seven miles) south of the port city of Boulogne, according to regional official Christophe Marx.

Emergency services responded after the boat encountered difficulty near the shore, but the two women could not be saved. Authorities did not immediately release their identities or nationalities.

The latest deaths bring the number of people killed this year while attempting the crossing from northern France to the southern coast of Britain to at least eight, according to French officials.

In 2025, at least 29 migrants died attempting the same journey, highlighting the continued dangers posed by the increasingly crowded and often unstable small boats used by people trying to reach the United Kingdom.

Despite tighter enforcement and joint security efforts between Paris and London, the Channel route remains a major pathway for migrants and asylum seekers seeking entry into Britain.

Last month, Britain and France signed a new three-year agreement aimed at reducing crossings, with France committing to deploy more police officers and gendarmes along its northern coastline while the British government agreed to increase financial support for coastal security operations.

The deal reflects growing political pressure on both governments to curb irregular migration and dismantle smuggling networks operating across the Channel.

French authorities say the number of migrant arrivals in Britain so far this year has fallen sharply compared with 2025, though the route continues to carry high humanitarian risks, particularly during poor weather and overcrowded departures.

Rights groups have repeatedly warned that stronger border enforcement alone has not stopped crossings but instead pushed migrants toward more dangerous routes and riskier conditions at sea.

The English Channel remains one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, making small-boat crossings especially hazardous for migrants traveling in unseaworthy vessels often launched at night or in rough conditions.

Volunteers working with naval forces and coast guards affiliated with the Libyan National Army rescued seven survivors during recovery operations near the coastal city of Tobruk, close to Libya’s border with Egypt, the Red Crescent said in a statement.

The group said the vessel had been stranded at sea for more than a week before rescue teams reached it. Security officials said they expected the bodies of the nine missing migrants to wash ashore in the coming days.Images released by the Red Crescent showed volunteers placing bodies in black plastic bags before loading them onto pickup trucks for transport.

Libya remains a major transit route for migrants, many from sub-Saharan Africa, attempting to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean in overcrowded and often unsafe boats after fleeing poverty, violence and political instability.

Shipwrecks and deaths along the central Mediterranean route remain frequent, with human rights groups and international agencies repeatedly warning about the risks posed by traffickers operating from Libya’s coast.

On Tuesday, Libya’s attorney general said Tripoli Criminal Court sentenced four members of a criminal gang based in the western city of Zuwara to prison terms of up to 22 years for human trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and torture.

In a separate case, the Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the arrest of another trafficking group accused of sending migrants from Tobruk on a deteriorating vessel that later capsized, causing the deaths of 38 Sudanese, Egyptian and Ethiopian nationals, according to the attorney general.

Authorities said the gang had arranged the sea crossing despite the unsafe condition of the boat, adding to growing scrutiny of trafficking networks operating along Libya’s eastern and western coasts.

Libya has struggled for years to control migrant smuggling routes amid political fragmentation and weak law enforcement, with rival administrations and armed groups competing for influence across the country.

The survivors, who said their vessel had initially carried 105 people, were found clinging to the wreckage of an overturned boat before being taken aboard nearby ships, according to Mediterranea Saving Humans and Sea-Watch. The bodies and survivors were later transferred to an Italian coast guard patrol boat and brought to the island of Lampedusa.

Italy’s interior ministry declined to comment on the incident, while the Italian Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation. The rescue took place during Easter, a major holiday in Italy.

Footage released by Sea-Watch showed migrants struggling in open waters, with several individuals holding onto the partially submerged orange hull as rescuers approached.

The central Mediterranean route, one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors, has been further complicated this year by adverse weather conditions. Rough seas have reduced the number of departures from North Africa but increased the risks for those attempting the journey.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that at least 683 people have died along the central Mediterranean route so far this year, marking one of the highest death tolls recorded since 2014.

These individuals have been instructed to leave the country before their permits and deportation protections are terminated on April 24, as per a federal notice.

The affected migrants were admitted under a Biden-era sponsorship initiative known as CHNV, which aimed to provide legal pathways for migration. However, Trump suspended the program upon assuming office.

It remains uncertain how many of these migrants have secured alternative legal status that would allow them to stay in the U.S.

Background of the CHNV Program

Initiated in 2022 under Democratic President Joe Biden, the CHNV program initially focused on Venezuelans before expanding to include additional nationalities. The initiative allowed eligible migrants and their immediate family members to enter the U.S. with American sponsors and remain for two years under a temporary immigration status called parole.

The Biden administration had advocated that CHNV would reduce illegal border crossings while ensuring thorough vetting of entrants. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) criticized the program, stating it had not met its intended goals.

In a statement, DHS officials accused the previous administration of using the program to facilitate job competition between migrants and American workers, compelling civil servants to support the initiative despite evidence of fraud, and blaming congressional Republicans for subsequent border issues.

Potential Exceptions and Further Policy Changes

While the Federal Register’s 35-page notice confirmed the program’s termination, it suggested that some CHNV recipients might be permitted to stay on a case-by-case basis.

Trump is also reportedly reviewing the temporary legal status of approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who sought refuge in the U.S. during Russia’s invasion.

The CHNV program had allowed:

213,000 Haitians to enter the U.S. amid worsening conditions in their homeland.

120,700 Venezuelans, 110,900 Cubans, and over 93,000 Nicaraguans to seek refuge before Trump ended the initiative.

Termination of Other Immigration Protections

Last month, DHS announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 500,000 Haitians as of August 2025. TPS, a designation for nationals from countries facing extreme conditions such as armed conflict or natural disasters, had also been revoked for Venezuelans, though this decision is currently facing legal challenges.

Since taking office in January, Trump’s immigration policies have encountered several legal obstacles, raising questions about the long-term future of these measures and their broader impact on affected migrant communities.