Last month, Dejen Asefaw was rescued with hundreds of other migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and brought to Sicily. The 24-year-old graduate from Eritrea, who endured forced military service and prison at home, hopes to be granted asylum in Europe.
But instead of applying for refugee status in the country where he landed, as European law dictates, Asefaw made his way to just south of the Austrian border. He hoped to cross into Austria and travel through Germany to Sweden, where his brother lives. There, he planned to identify himself to authorities and request asylum.
Waiting on a train platform a few days ago, the South Tyrol's snowcapped peaks shining in the distance, Asefaw said it was easy to avoid being registered in Italy. "No one forces you to give your fingerprints," he said, before explaining how he paid people smugglers more than $5,000 for his journey to Europe. "Surviving the journey was a miracle."