Investigations conducted in this newsroom provided the first detailed evidence of new forms of illegal pushbacks spurring widespread international coverage. One investigation demonstrated that asylum seekers who landed on Samos and declared themselves to authorities seeking international protection were detained, put onto a liferaft and towed out to the open sea. Simultaneously it was the first to document “deep pushbacks” — the detention and forced expulsion of asylum seekers from refugee camps deep inside Greece.

We detailed Frontex’s direct involvement in and knowledge of illegal pushbacks, making headlines across Europe. Investigations in this newsroom are partly responsible for the investigation into Frontex by the EU’s anti-fraud agency, OLAF. The Border Agency’s own management board responded with an internal inquiry into its conduct, probing Frontex’s conduct and accountability mechanisms. The head of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, has been called before national parliaments and faces a special Scrutiny Working Group under the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs at the European Parliament.