The European Union is broadening its authority to track, raid, and deport migrants to so-called 'return hubs' in third countries, adopting strategies reminiscent of the Trump administration that have faced widespread criticism across the bloc. The new measures, part of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, come into effect on June 12, as the EU tightens migration policies following the rise of right-wing parties in several member states in 2024.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the reforms aim to prevent a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis, when around one million asylum seekers arrived due to Syria's civil war. 'We have learnt the lessons of the past. And today, we are better equipped,' she said. Far-right parties in Europe have praised U.S. President Donald Trump's deportation policies and urged the EU to adopt similar approaches.
Human rights groups warn that authorities are already illegally pushing back migrants at borders and eroding legal protections. A February report by humanitarian organizations recorded over 80,000 pushbacks in 2025, averaging 221 per day, mostly in Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, and Latvia. The report described incidents of beatings, attacks by police dogs, forced stripping, and theft of personal belongings.
The EU is expanding on Italy's model under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which includes two migrant detention centers in Albania for rejected asylum-seekers. Italy's Cabinet has also approved an anti-immigration package allowing the navy to halt vessels in international waters for up to six months and speed up deportations of convicted foreign nationals. An informal group of EU nations, including Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece, is pursuing deportation center agreements, with Kenya among the countries in talks.
In Britain, which left the EU, the Labour government has made curbing unauthorized immigration a priority. The Home Office reported that nearly 60,000 people had been deported since July 2024, and arrests of people working without permission rose by over half in 2025. The EU border agency Frontex has also begun participating in raids with Belgian police to detain and deport migrants.
