On June 17, the European Parliament passed a new law which would allow countries in the European Union (EU) to set up offshore deportation centres or ‘return hubs’ in non-EU countries through formal alliances. The EU Parliament passed the law, amid scenes of high drama where lawmakers were seen chanting ‘Send them back’, with 418 members in favour, 218 against and 30 abstentions. It is considered as one of the toughest anti-migration policies from the bloc yet.
What does the law say?
The law, being called the Return Regulation, was proposed by the European Commission last year, and was finalised by lawmakers of the EU on June 1. It has now been ratified in the EU Parliament, and will now need approvals from all individual European governments.
The Regulation essentially approves the deportation of immigrants who have no right to enter or stay in the EU to third-party countries. Individual member states can now form bilateral agreements with non-EU countries and set up deportation centres there. However, the law stresses that such agreements can only be signed with third-party countries which “uphold human rights, international law and the principle of non-refoulement”.
These centres are mainly for immigrants/asylum seekers who have been denied the right to stay in the EU but cannot be deported back to their home countries immediately (for example, when the home country does not accept them back or if their identity cannot be verified). The only exemptions to these rules would be unaccompanied minors. Families with children who fall in the above category would also be deported to such ‘return hubs’.
Further, as per the provisional text of the Return Regulation, non-EU nationals who have been asked to return may be detained if there is a security risk or if there is the threat of absconding.
The maximum legal detention period for irregular migrants waiting to be returned has been raised from six months to two years. It could also be an unlimited duration for persons posing a security risk. Further punitive measures include entry bans, fines and criminal sanctions if migrants were not to cooperate.
The law also allows the search of residences or “relevant premises” of such ‘illegal’ immigrants which some organisations have denounced as being similar to the indiscriminate power allowed to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in recent times.
Why was it ‘needed’?
As per the latest Eurostat data, only around 28% of migrants ordered to leave are effectively returned to their home nations. Nicholas Ioannides, the Deputy Minister for Migration and International Protection said that the new law would “speed up the return process and increase returns of persons who have no legal right to stay in the EU… today’s (June 17) landmark agreement strengthens the credibility of the EU’s migration policy.”
Europe has seen an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment in the past decade or so which has in turn, among other reasons, also fuelled the rise of far-right parties and governments across the EU.
Only last week, on June 14, did Switzerland vote on a referendum to cap the population of the country to 10 million until 2050, which many considered as a move to restrict the entry and stay of immigrants in the country.
The Return Regulation was mainly supported by the bloc’s right-wing and centrist groups. The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) aligned with the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists, which includes Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party. It was also supported by the far-right Patriots for Europe — led by Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally of France — and by the Europe of Sovereign Nations, which includes Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The EPP includes centrist parties such as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is led by German Chancellor Freidrich Merz. While in domestic matters, centrists such as the CDU have ruled out any sort of alliance with the AfD, at the EU-level, such parties find that it is necessary to align with far-right blocs in order to get the required votes to pass migration and asylum-related legislation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the Regulation was “fair and firm”, and that it would deliver “more secure external borders, solidarity between member states and more efficient procedures for asylum and return”.
The law must also be seen in light of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum which was adopted in 2024 and has been in effect from June 12, 2026. The Pact, which consists of 10 binding legislations, aims to streamline migration and asylum-related applications at the EU level, establishing common procedures for all member states so that the pressures of migration will not be felt by just a few countries.
This Pact mainly applies to immigrants illegally crossing an external EU border via the shores or seas of EU countries. Some significant reforms within the Pact include a mandatory screening process at the time of reaching the border, the formation of a full-fledged EU asylum and migration database etc.
The number of first-time asylum applicants has been decreasing year after year. As per the latest Eurostat numbers, in 2025, over six lakh asylum applications came through to EU nations, which is a decrease of 27% compared with 2024.
A familiar model
The United Kingdom, a former EU nation, under the conservative government of Rishi Sunak, had proposed a policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which has since been abolished by the present Keir Starmer government. However, the Sunak model was different in the sense that the then-U.K. government was proposing the direct transfer of all “illegal” asylum seekers to Rwanda, and then process their claims there. If the claim was approved, they could attain refugee status in Rwanda. None of them will have the right to return to the U.K.
In Italy, Ms. Meloni’s government has already set up ‘repatriation centres’ for asylum seekers, intercepted at sea, in Albania. However, the local courts as well as the European Court of Justice have effectively blocked a number of refugee deportations on the premise that Italy’s classification of what entails as a ‘safe’ country violates EU standards.
Now with the passing of the Return Regulation, EU member states such as Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece among others are actively looking abroad to strike deals with third-party countries.
The Human Rights Watch said that the new law shows “little regard for people’s safety, dignity, and rights, and fails to uphold the EU’s fundamental values. Instead of building a fair, functional, and humane return system, member states are advancing an approach that is narrowly punitive.”
Most of the socialist and left-wing members of the European Parliament have argued that the new law undermines migrants’ human rights. There have also been concerns regarding the well-being of migrants in such ‘return hubs’. “This regulation risks normalising legally questionable practices that would have been unthinkable in the EU only a few years ago,” said Ana Catarina Mendes, vice-president of the Socialists and Democrats group whose members largely voted against the regulation in the European Parliament.
Published – June 20, 2026 06:30 am IST
