When I talk about smugglers like this, it’s not what you’re imagining. Europeans always picture hardened criminals with AK-47s like in the movies, but that’s not the case. They’re just people with connections, and together they make up a vast, loose network that shuttles migrants north. They don’t trick or pressure anyone into traveling to Europe; they’re simply responding to a demand. In Ghana, no one brainwashed me into beginning my journey; I was driven by my own eagerness to see the world. It’s true, though, that these organizations can acquire whatever documents you need, like a false
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