Immigration rate down 7%: Robinson

UN human rights chief Mary Robinson today expressed concern that the European debate on illegal immigration was ignoring the fact that the number of refugees is declining.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said last week that overall asylum applications in the 15 European Union nations were down to 87,014 during the first three months of this year, 7% lower than the 93,737 filed in the final quarter of 2001.