PARIS (France ) : Walking through Paris during my stay, I met many Pakistanis who came here with dreams of work, dignity, and a better future. Some arrived legally, others through illegal routes that are far more organized than many people imagine. Despite strict controls by Pakistani and French authorities, human smuggling networks are still active — adapting, changing routes, and exploiting loopholes in the system.
What surprised me most was not just that these networks exist, but how openly people talk about them in private conversations. Over tea in small Pakistani cafés, at construction sites, and in shared apartments, I heard similar stories again and again. The faces changed, but the pattern remained the same.
In the past, the most common route for illegal migration was through Iran and Turkey. That route is now largely shut down due to strict enforcement, arrests, and regional instability. As one Pakistani worker in Paris told me, “That road is finished now. Too risky, too many arrests and straight away deportation.”
So smugglers adapted.
Today, a more common method begins legally. Since Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) closely monitors single young men traveling abroad, many migrants now apply for visas as families — often for Umrah or work in the Middle East. Once they arrive, the plan unfolds quietly. The family returns to Pakistan after a short stay. The main applicant stays back, works for a few months, and then applies for a European visa from the Middle East.
On paper, everything looks legal. In reality, it is the first step toward disappearing into Europe’s shadow economy.
In some cases, human smugglers become directly involved. I was told about airport fraud where boarding cards are exchanged, identities are manipulated, and travelers slip through with help from organized gangs. These are not random acts. They are planned operations.
Most illegal entrants first land in Italy or Greece. From there, they move north — often to France, where construction and manual labor jobs are in high demand.
Among Pakistani migrants, a disturbing term is commonly used: “donkey” or “taxi.” These words refer to illegal workers being transported across borders like cargo.
According to multiple people I spoke with, taxi drivers — often Pakistani or Indian — operate in organized groups. They rent apartments across different European countries, where illegal migrants are kept temporarily. During this time, migrants are often looted of cash, phones, and valuables.
Mirza Faisal, a Pakistani worker told me quietly, “Once you enter illegally, you have no voice. They can take everything. You cannot go to police.”
These taxi gangs move people from Italy or Greece into France, sometimes charging thousands of euros. The migrants accept the abuse because they believe France offers work and eventual stability.
France has a strong demand for labor, especially in construction, cleaning, and logistics. This demand creates space for illegal workers — and for exploitation.
Most undocumented Pakistanis work long hours for low wages, without contracts or protection. Employers know they cannot complain. Smugglers know they cannot fight back.
French authorities are not blind to this reality. In recent years, police have arrested many taxi drivers from Indian and Pakistani Punjab involved in transporting illegal migrants. Several networks have been broken, but new ones emerge.
One French-Pakistani community member told me, “The police catch ten, but twenty more are ready.”
Another route I heard about repeatedly involves Portugal. Many migrants go there first because it is relatively easier to regularize status over time. Once they receive papers, they return to France — legally this time — for work.
This circular movement exposes a key weakness in Europe’s migration system: countries do not coordinate effectively. What is difficult in one country becomes easy in another, and smugglers exploit this gap.
Despite all the risks, the Libya route is still used — especially by those who fail elsewhere. Everyone I spoke to agreed it is the most dangerous path: sea crossings, armed groups, detention centers, and death.
Yet desperation pushes people forward.
“People know they might die,” one man said. “But they also know they might survive and send money home.”
Greece and Turkey now arrest and jail illegal migrants or deport them quickly. This has reduced traffic, but not eliminated it.
Interestingly, when I asked locals and other immigrants about Pakistanis, I heard something positive. Despite illegal migration, Pakistanis generally have a good reputation as hard workers who avoid crime.
That reputation matters — and it should be protected.
Some Pakistani workers I spoke with had entered France illegally years ago but are now fully documented. They pay taxes, work legally, and send foreign exchange back to Pakistan.
Their request was simple and emotional.
“We made mistakes,” one said. “But now we are legal. FIA should not harass us when we visit Pakistan. Do not extort money from us.”
They fear offloading, questioning, and humiliation at Pakistani airports — even when they have valid documents.
Crackdowns alone will not end illegal migration. Smugglers survive because legal migration is too difficult, too slow, and too humiliating.
Pakistan and France need joint action:
Make legal work visas easier, transparent, and affordable, share intelligence on smuggling networks, crack down hard on taxi gangs and document fraud, protect legal migrants from harassment and punish illegal employers, not just illegal workers
When legal paths are blocked, illegal routes become profitable.
If both governments work together to make life easy for legal immigrants and hard for illegal ones, smugglers will lose their business model.
Until then, invisible routes will continue — and human suffering will remain the price of broken systems.