If they don't have a legitimate claim to asylum, they can be sent back. The problem is, the vast majority do, and since that right stems from fundamental human

If they don't have a legitimate claim to asylum, they can be sent back. The problem is, the vast majority do, and since that right stems from fundamental human rights, you can't simply remove it. That, and the better angels of european conscience remember that it was our grandparents, and the governments they elected, who turned away the jewish refugees seeking asylum from the Nazis. Sadly, since the apple never falls all that far from the tree, there is always a lot of support for making it practically impossible for refugees to claim the protections that are enshrined in the core principle of the EU. So, that's why people are attempting dangerous sea crossings.