The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Francois Crepeau, on Tuesday urged the Europeans to start focusing on regaining control of their external border from the smugglers by increasing mobility solutions available to most migrants.

According to the UN expert, the European Union should establish a human rights-based, coherent and comprehensive migration policy which makes mobility its central asset.

"It is the only way in which the EU can reclaim its border, effectively combat smuggling and empower migrants," he said.

The UN expert said that "building fences, using tear gas and other forms of violence against migrants and asylum seekers will not stop migrants from coming or trying to come to Europe."

According to the UN expert, democratic borders are porous by nature, and providing migrants and asylum seekers with legal and safe mobility solutions will ensure such a control.

"If Europeans want their governments to regain control of their borders, then they must urge them to bank on mobility and offer migrants and asylum seekers official channels to enter and stay in Europe," the human rights expert said.

According to him, opening up the regular labor markets through smart visas allowing people to come to look for work and incentivise them to return if they don't find the job in question would allow for a much better regulated and controlled official labor market.

"In addition, there is an obvious urgent need for Europe to create, jointly with other Global North countries, a massive resettlement program for refugees like Syrians and Eritreans that could offer protection to 1.5 or 2 million of them over the next five years," he said.

Crepeau also warned that the political and popular discourse in Europe has seen a race to the bottom in the anti-migrant sentiments and use of inappropriate language which is often linked to criminalising migrants.

"Migrants are human beings with rights. When we dehumanise others, we dehumanise ourselves," he underscored.