BRUSSELS — The European Parliament approved legislation Thursday that streamlines the process for establishing migrant detention facilities beyond EU borders, commonly referred to as “return hubs.”
The controversial measure passed by a margin of 389 to 206, with 32 lawmakers abstaining from the vote. The legislation succeeded through an unprecedented coalition between right-wing parties and far-right groups that had been previously excluded from such alliances, while left-leaning and centrist parties opposed the initiative.
Under the new rules, individual EU countries or small groups of nations can independently negotiate agreements to send migrants to these proposed overseas facilities rather than returning them to their countries of origin. These detention centers have yet to be constructed outside the 27-member European Union.
Several European nations have already begun discussions with foreign governments, particularly in Africa, to host these migrant holding facilities. Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Denmark are among the countries pursuing such arrangements.
European far-right political movements have expressed admiration for U.S. President Donald Trump’s deportation strategies and have advocated for the EU to implement comparable policies.
In January, both Belgium’s far-right Vlaams Belang party and Germany’s far-right AfD party announced their intention to establish a police unit dedicated to locating and deporting migrants, modeled after similar American operations.
Human rights organizations have criticized these developments, arguing that migrants face brutal treatment and illegal pushbacks at EU borders, while legal safeguards continue to be weakened.
