In response to a surge in illicit fishing vessels connected to people traffickers, Australia said Wednesday it would recruit Indigenous Aboriginal rangers to monitor its northern coastline.
Since beginning an operation in the Northern Territory in December, the Australian Border Force reported increasing aircraft surveillance and intercepting 20 foreign fishing vessels. This comes after multiple instances in 2024 where asylum seekers were discovered entering isolated Arnhem Land.
The problem has drawn attention ahead of the May national election, even if the number of boat arrivals is still small in comparison to the 15,000 asylum seekers who arrived each year before to the offshore processing plan.
