When we read Washington’s latest security strategy, which criticizes Europe’s migration policy and claims that the continent is facing a “disappearance of civilization,” we might think that the European Union is opening its borders wide.
But exactly the opposite happens: the irregular migration of the block decreases. EU states have just passed the most restrictive immigration rules yet to make it easier for members to quickly detain and deport rejected asylum seekers.
Denmark’s Immigration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said the new reforms would help repair the EU’s “dysfunctional” system and restore a sense of “control”. However, these measures have also drawn sharp criticism from human rights defenders, who accuse the bloc of emulating the “painful, inhumane and illegal mass arrests, internment and deportations occurring in the United States.”
Send migrants to centers abroad?
The reforms supported by the EU interior ministers also include the legal approval of so-called “return points”. If passed, migrants would be sent to these detention centers outside the EU, from where their asylum applications would be processed, or even as part of a ticket to leave Europe.
The rule change, which still needs to be negotiated with the European Parliament, would allow individual EU governments to reach agreements with states outside EU borders to send migrants there, even if they have no ties to the country.
Although Denmark began exploring options for sending migrants to Rwanda in 2021, Italy was the first EU member to put this into practice. Last year, centers were set up in neighboring non-EU country Albania, but there were legal problems and they were eventually shelved.
What the return centers will look like beyond the Italian model and, above all, which non-EU countries would be willing to accept migrants is not yet known, says migration politician Helena Hahn in an interview with DW.
Avoid responsibility?
Charities and activists including Human Rights Watch and Oxfam have in the past criticized the EU for “shirking its responsibilities” by trying to outsource the processing of asylum applications.
“The EU is trying to shift its responsibility even further to countries that already accept the majority of refugees and that often have far fewer resources,” dozens of NGOs denounced in 2024.
Faster deportations to “safe” countries
EU member states have also just backed new proposals aimed at speeding up deportations and imposing tougher penalties for migrants who ignore deportation orders.
Ministers also gave the green light to a centralized list of “safe” countries that authorities can use to speed up decisions and deny residency to those least likely to receive asylum. Bangladesh tops a list that also includes India, Colombia, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. EU accession candidates such as Montenegro, Moldova and Serbia should also be considered safe, except in cases of conflict.
Relocate migrants or pay for their support
According to analyst Helena Hahn, a “solidarity fund” will allow member states in northern and eastern Europe to accept more migrants from southern states or contribute to a common fund to support countries such as Cyprus, Spain, Italy or Greece that host the most migrants.
Hahn notes that “issues related to relocation, quotas and the ‘fair’ distribution of asylum seekers across Europe have always been among the thorny issues affecting the implementation and functioning of the common European asylum system.”
The rise of the extreme right
EU citizens often cite irregular immigration as one of their main concerns. Citizens rank second only to Russia’s war in Ukraine in a list of the biggest challenges facing the EU, according to data from a bloc-wide survey in early 2025.
Far-right parties focused on anti-immigrant messages are gaining popularity in many EU countries as centrist forces try to win back votes. “We are dealing with a very restrictive immigration agenda,” researcher Helena Hahn tells DW, pointing out that more and more countries are trying to find so-called “innovative solutions” to deter, detain and deport migrants.
(mn/ms)
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