5 European nations follow U.S. with plans for third-country deportations as EU approves migrant "return hubs"

Key Points:

• Five EU countries—Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands—are advancing plans to deport rejected asylum seekers to "return hubs" in safe third countries, potentially in Africa, following new EU rules enabling this practice.
• These return hubs aim to serve as transfer points for migrants who have exhausted legal options and cannot be returned to their countries of origin, with pilot projects expected as early as 2025 or 2027.
• The EU mandates that agreements with third countries must respect international human rights standards, including the principle of non-refoulement, to prevent deportations to places where individuals face harm.
• The initiative follows similar policies in the U.S. and the U.K., though the latter's Rwanda deportation scheme was halted by courts and later abandoned due to legal and ethical concerns.
• Experts warn that while return hubs may deter irregular migration, they do not solve underlying migration policy challenges, including legal obstacles, cooperation from third countries, and the need for broader border control reforms.