EU member states have used illegal operations to push back at least 40,000 asylum seekers from Europe’s borders during the coronavirus pandemic, methods being linked to the death of more than 2,000 people, The Guardian reported.

The daily says that the EU countries have repeatedly cracked down on thousands of refugees, including children, in order to protect their external borders, resorting to violence and ill-treatment.

Despite declining migrant flows, Italy, Malta, Greece, Croatia and Spain have tightened their migration policies.