Europe seeks to increase deportations as some nations embrace Trump-like tactics
NBC News • • world
Key Points:
- The European Union is expanding its migration enforcement powers, adopting tactics similar to the Trump administration by tracking, raiding, and deporting migrants to "return hubs" in third countries, primarily in Africa.
- These new measures, part of the Pact on Migration and Asylum effective June 12, aim to prevent a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis and have been encouraged by the rise of right-wing parties across Europe.
- Italy serves as a model with its detention centers in Albania and policies allowing naval interception and deportation of migrants, while an informal group of EU nations is negotiating agreements with countries like Kenya for deportation hubs.
- Human rights organizations report widespread abuses including pushbacks, beatings, and forced returns at EU borders, alongside increased surveillance and weakened legal protections for migrants.
- Despite harsher policies, Europe maintains stronger institutional safeguards for migrants compared to the U.S., though critics warn the political climate is shifting toward similarly severe consequences.
