European countries approved on Monday the introduction of return hubs for migrants into a draft legislation as the bloc seeks to speed up deportations.
Under the proposal, EU member states could return irregular migrants to third countries unrelated of their origin as long as they have bilateral agreements in place. The hubs can be either places of transit or locations where a person is expected to stay.
By returning illegal migrants with no right to stay in the EU to a third country, the member states could speed up returns, but it could also endanger the lives of people as they would be sent back to countries where they have no connection to.
This provision is part of a new law called “return regulation”, designed to enforce the legal validity of return orders across all member states which the European Commission argues will allow for a faster execution of deportations out of the European Union.,
The law, which must be agreed by the European Parliament before entering into force, is part of an overall effort to make harder for irregular migrants to enter Europe but also accelerate their exit as public opinion and new political majorities push for a tougher line.
Return hubs as temporary or final destination for migrants
The nature of each return hub will depend on the bilateral agreements struck by individual EU member states with non-EU countries.
The hubs can be a place of transit, a step before the individual is returned to their own country of origin, or become a permanent location for those with no right to stay in the EU.
Individuals could be returned to their countries of origin or even third countries provided that they adhere to international human rights standards and principles of international law.
“The connection criterion has now been removed. This allows member states to establish return hubs either as transit centres, where irregular migrants are processed before being sent to their home countries, or as facilities where a person can be held for a longer period”, Danish Minister for immigration and integration Rasmus Stoklund told journalists on Monday.
Civil society organisations have criticised the introduction of return hubs as an inhumane practice that will increase abuses and overall human rights violations towards migrants.
In a joint statement released last July, as the EU explored the legislation presented today, more than 100 organisations – including Amnesty International, ActionAid, Caritas Europa and Human Rights Watch – warned that the proposal risked pushing the EU away from international law and could lead to illegal returns and arbitrary detentions.
More ‘effective’ returns as EU seeks quicker expulsions
Only 20% of the return orders are enforced, according to European Commission data.
The new legislation aims to increase that number of expulsions by enacting more severe legal consequences if a returnee does not cooperate with authorities, withdrawing work permits and even imposing criminal sanctions, including imprisonment.
The same approach would apply to non-EU countries that refuse to readmit their nationals, which may in turn affect bilateral relations. This year, tensions rose between France and Algeria over what Paris claimed to be an unusually low number of repatriations, for example.
Mutual recognition of return decisions among member states is also featured in today’s legislation. Under the current legal system, a return decision is binding only in the country that issues it. Once the new law is approved, it would be valid for all of the EU.