“[N]ew rules will allow member states to dramatically expand their deportation powers – marking the most hardline turn in EU migration policy in decades.
“Here’s what changes, in a nutshell:
“* EU member states can strike bilateral deals with distant countries to build so-called ‘return hubs’ on their territory and send irregular migrants there. The hubs can be either places of transit or locations where a person is expected to stay.
- National authorities can conduct raids on sites associated with an irregular migrant, a provision that has been likened by critics to the tactics of the US’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
“* Deportation orders can be expedited. - The maximum legal detention period for irregular migrants waiting to be returned will be increased from six months to two years, with an unlimited duration for persons considered as posing a security risk.
““This is a really very important step in making sure that we have control over what is happening in the EU, over who comes but also who has to leave the EU,” Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner told reporters, including Vincenzo, at the end of the talks.
““The next step is working more on migration diplomacy, together with third countries,” Brunner added, without mentioning in which non-EU countries return hubs could be established.
“The measures, which would have been considered taboo only a few years ago, have been driven by pressure in public opinion and the rapid rise of anti-immigration parties.
“Conservatives across the continent have been increasingly converging with the position of far-right parties, pushing for a tougher approach towards migration.
“The low rate of successfully-executed return orders for migrants with no legal right to stay in the EU has been a growing concern. According to official figures, only 29% of migrants ordered to leave are returned.”
Source: Europe Today
