EU Overhauls Migration Policy

The European Union>>> has agreed on a major overhaul of its migration policy, aiming to increase deportations and establish detention centers abroad, referred to as 'return hubs'. This provisional agreement, struck between the International — European Commission>>>, European Council>>>, and European Union — European Parliament>>>, will allow EU states to set up bilateral deals with third countries to host these centers. Critics, including Silvia Carter>>> from PICUM>>> and Marta Welander>>> from the International Rescue Committee>>>, have condemned the new regulations, comparing them to the aggressive immigration policies of the Donald Trump>>> administration and warning of a 'draconian detention and deportation machine'. The new rules extend detention periods, allow authorities to seize belongings, collect biometric data, and search homes, with coercion permitted for fingerprints. Countries like Germany>>>, Austria>>>, the Netherlands>>>, Denmark>>>, and Greece>>> are already in talks with third countries, primarily in Africa, to establish these hubs, following the model of Italy>>>'s deal with Albania>>>. The policy shift is attributed to a rightward political shift in the EU after the 2024 European Union — European Parliament elections, with Ursula von der Leyen>>> stating the measures aim to prevent a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis.