EU parliament votes 389 to 206 on package for tougher immigration measures, which includes harsher penalties for migrants'
MEPs voted 389 to 206 on the package of tougher immigration measures, which includes harsher penalties for migrants who refuse to leave and allows hubs to be opened outside the EU to which unsuccesful asylum applicants can be deported.
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European lawmakers cleared the way, on Thursday, March 26, for tougher penalties for irregular migrants and their potential deportation to so-called "return hubs" outside the bloc. The European Parliament approved the package with support from center-right and far-right groups, in a 389 to 206 vote in Brussels. This brings the measures a step closer to final approval.
EU member states gave their green light to the package – first proposed by the European Commission last year – in December. The measures, which have been criticised by human rights groups, are part of broader measures to toughen up Europe's immigration rules in response to pressure across the 27-nation bloc to curb migration.
The reform would notably allow for the opening of centers or "return hubs" outside the EU's borders to which migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected would be sent. It also envisages harsher penalties for migrants who refuse to leave, including through detention and entry bans.
Negotiations with parliament after the vote are likely to zero in on a small number of issues, including the extent of search powers that could be granted to authorities seeking out irregular migrants, observers say.
'Legal black holes'
It has proven divisive. Some in the bloc, including France and Spain, have questioned the effectiveness of return centres, which the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an NGO, has described as "legal black holes."
"They will be located outside of EU territory, where policymakers cannot guarantee that people's rights will be upheld," said the IRC's Marta Welander.
A small group of countries, including Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands, is nevertheless ploughing ahead and exploring options to set them up, according to a diplomatic source.
Proponents say the hubs could act as a deterrent and discourage migrants from attempting to reach Europe in the first place. "The decisive changes introduced by this regulation will make it possible to simply guarantee this straightforward principle: if you come to Europe illegally, rest assured that you will not stay here," said conservative French MEP Francois-Xavier Bellamy.
'ICE-style' enforcement
Critics instead point to the hurdles faced by similar projects. Britain abandoned a scheme to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italian-run facilities to process migrants in Albania have faced legal challenges and a slow uptake.
A group of 70 rights groups warned in February that the reform would allow for "ICE-style immigration enforcement," a reference to the heavy-handed practices used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the United States under President Donald Trump.
European governments have sought a tougher stance amid a souring of public opinion on migration that has fuelled far-right electoral gains across the continent.
With migrant arrivals down in 2025, focus in Brussels has turned to improving the repatriation system, which currently sees about 20% of people ordered to leave actually returned to their country of origin.
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/03/26/eu-parliament-votes-through-measures-to-deport-migrants-to-return-hubs_6751830_4.html