“The new regulation will accelerate the return process and boost the numbers of individuals without legal rights to remain in the EU,” stated Nicholas Ioannides, deputy migration minister for Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the 27-member bloc.
The agreement was reached among the EU’s three principal institutions—the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament—during a “trilogue” discussion on Monday evening.
Critics have likened the regulation to the immigration policy implemented during the Trump administration, which engaged in numerous clandestine agreements with various countries to facilitate the deportation of thousands to nations that are not their own.
The United Kingdom also intended to send migrants to Rwanda; however, that initiative was stalled by legal challenges and was abandoned by the new government shortly after taking office.
”The Regulation will establish a harsh detention and deportation system,” remarked Silvia Carter, spokesperson for the Brussels-based Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.
“Across the Atlantic, we witness the violence and fear instigated by ICE’s severe immigration enforcement. Europe ought to draw lessons from the damages caused by that model, rather than creating a version of it.” The provisional agreement will now proceed to EU lawmakers and heads of state, where it is anticipated to gain swift approval.
EU member states will soon have the ability to establish bilateral agreements with countries outside the bloc to construct deportation centers. At least five EU countries—Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece—are already negotiating with third countries, primarily in Africa, to create “return hubs” similar to Italy’s detention arrangement with Albania.
The EU has consistently tightened migration regulations following the rise of right-wing parties in several nations in 2024.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, representing the centre-right European People’s Party coalition, has stated that these new measures aim to avert a recurrence of the 2015 crisis induced by Syria’s civil war, which resulted in nearly 1 million individuals arriving to seek asylum.
Driven by those escaping conflict and poverty throughout Africa and the Middle East, the 2015 refugee crisis, along with years of irregular migration to Europe, has propelled a shift towards the right in the bloc’s politics, akin to the anti-immigrant sentiment that contributed to a “red wave” in the 2024 elections in the United States.
Centre-right political factions allied with far-right groups managed to push through despite opposition from centrist and left-wing parties, noted Melissa Camara, a French lawmaker and member of the Greens, who described the agreement as “a historic setback” for human rights within the EU.
“The legalization of return hubs outside the European Union, the approval for the detention of minors, and home visits modeled after ICE practices: the legal tools supporting a xenophobic ideology are now fully established,” she expressed.
Activist organizations have cautioned that the legislation could significantly undermine the protections provided under the EU’s fundamental human rights charter and place individuals at greater risk outside the bloc.
“This agreement will empower governments with much broader authority to detain and deport individuals,” said Marta Welander, a spokesperson for the International Rescue Committee.
”It appears poised to normalize immigration raids, extend the use of detention in prison-like facilities beyond EU territory that function as legal voids, and heighten the likelihood of individuals being sent back to countries where they might face persecution, torture, or worse.”
