EU Approves Use of Trump-Style Migrant Holding Centres in Third Party Countries

European Union lawmakers reached an agreement this week that will pave the way for the establishment of deportation centres outside the bloc’s borders, a policy championed by figures such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The European Council and EU Parliament negotiators came to a deal this week, which will “enable faster and more effective” deportations of illegal migrants, including the establishment of “return hubs” in third-party nations, as has been done by the American government under President Donald Trump with El Salvador.

French Member of EU Parliament François-Xavier Bellamy, who led the negotiating team for the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), said of the agreement: “For too long, Europe has had a system where return orders were routinely ignored. Let’s be clear: four out of five non-EU nationals who have received a formal return decision from a Member State do not leave. That is not a functioning system. That is failure. Today, we are ending that situation by facilitating returns, extending detention periods, removing the automatically suspensive effect of appeals, and providing a legal framework for return hubs in third countries. This is not just another piece of legislation, but the condition for regaining control of migration policy in Europe”.

“For years, Europe sent the worst possible message: even if you had no right to stay, chances were high that nothing would happen,” he added. “That era is ending. If you have no right to stay in Europe, you will have to leave.”