The EU has an illegal immigrant problem with ships bringing people across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa, many drowning in transit. Those ships are the pipeline.
The Europeans seem to be at a loss as to what to do about this. I have a solution I predict would work but will be found unpalatable, for whatever reason.
Naval patrols in the area should stop ships and any found carrying illegal immigrants should be escorted back to port of origin where the passengers would be disembarked, forcibly if necessary. Thereafter these ships should be towed out into deep water and sunk.
Few scuttlings would be needed to get a message to ship owners "going coyote" posed a great risk of losing one's vessel. That should effectively dry up the supply of vessels, except for ships so valueless that a final trip was all they were good for.
Buying up and destroying junk vessels would further limit the problem. It might be cheaper than continuous patrolling.
