EU Approves New Rules to Deport Illegal Immigrants to Countries Considered Safe

European Union lawmakers have approved new immigration laws that will allow nations to deport illegal immigrants because they either hail from a country considered safe or could apply for asylum in a country outside the 27-nation bloc.

The new laws, set to come into effect in June, will allow for the deportation of people back to countries they transitioned through—and could have claimed asylum in—before moving on to the EU country that refused their claim.

The Feb. 10 vote at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, ratified a decision taken in December in Brussels when EU ministers agreed on a list of safe countries.

Center-right and nationalist groups of lawmakers joined forces on the two votes, resulting in a 408–184 vote in favor of the measure regarding safe countries of origin, and a 396–226 vote backing the measure regarding safe third countries.

“We are delivering another key building block for a functioning, credible asylum system,” Lena Düpont, a German lawmaker from the European People’s Party, the largest bloc in the European Parliament, said on X.

“By enabling manifestly unfounded asylum applications to be rejected more quickly and efficiently in the future, we are speeding up asylum procedures, relieving the burden on member state systems, and helping people avoid being stuck in legal limbo for years.”

Specific rules on return regulations are still under discussion in parliament, but the new rules could eventually enable the 27 member states to set up deportation centers, sometimes called “return hubs,” outside the EU, similar to those established by Italy in Albania.

Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco, and Tunisia are on the list of safe countries of origin under the new rules, as are EU candidate countries.

EU nations will soon be able to deport people to those countries, none of which are war-torn. Opponents said this could endanger vulnerable people because some of the countries have a poor record on human rights issues.

Public Discontent

The new rules come amid growing public discontent across Europe over soaring rates of both legal and illegal immigration, with voters making their feelings known at the ballot box in a number of different countries, including Sweden, Italy, and Germany.

Many governments in the EU have altered their rhetoric on immigration in recent years and adopted policies more focused on returns amid public anger over the cost of accommodation for asylum claimants, as well as social tensions and concern about crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

Human rights groups and politicians within the leftist blocs of the EU oppose the measures, which they say could result in people being deported to countries they have no connection to.

“So-called ‘safe countries of origin’ are not safe. This Parliament has passed resolutions on many of these countries, condemning deteriorations in their rule of law, democracy, and fundamental rights. Today’s vote ignores the reality of the facts,” said Cecilia Strada, an Italian lawmaker in the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament that voted against the new rules.

“The new ‘safe third country’ rules are likely to force people to countries they may never have set foot in—places where they have no community, do not speak the language, and face a very real risk of abuse and exploitation,” said Meron Ameha Knikman, senior adviser for the International Rescue Committee.

‘A Dark Day’

Olivia Sundberg Diez of Amnesty International said the greenlight for the measures from lawmakers amounted to “a very dark day for human rights in the EU.”

The European Commission drew up the sweeping new pact on Migration and Asylum in May 2024, calling for increasing deportations and setting up deportation centers for rejected asylum-seekers.

Thanos Plevris, Greek minister for migration and asylum, posted on X that the European Parliament’s vote “fully reflects our position for a strict migration policy with emphasis on returns” and emphasized that the new rules line up with the “dominant position in the EU” on tackling the issue of illegal migrants and speeding up removals.

Matteo Piantedosi, Italy’s interior minister, called the EU’s approval of the list of safe third countries “a great success” in terms of supporting his country’s immigration policy, saying the rules allow states to assess where a migrant transited through a safe country and accelerate returns of those who are not in need of protection, according to Italy’s leading national news agency ANSA.

In 2024, 123,655 third-country nationals were refused entry into the EU territory at one of its external borders, an increase of 0.3 percent compared with 2023.

Official figures show that 918,925 people were found to be illegally living in the EU in 2024, down from 1.27 million in the previous year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.