The European Parliament votes in favour of deporting migrants to return centres outside the EU

The European Parliament passed a law designed to accelerate and reinforce the return of irregular migrants across the EU.

It was approved by 389 MEPs, with 206 voting against and 32 abstaining. The vote took place on March 26, and was met with applause from several MEPs who welcomed the decision.

A picture of  the European Parliament, where the vote on the new migration return law took place, 26 March 2026 (Photo Creative Commons)

A key feature of the law is the creation of “return hubs” in third countries considered safe by the EU. These centres will receive irregular migrants, particularly those whose asylum claims have been rejected. EU member states can establish these hubs through bilateral agreements with the host countries. The hubs may serve as either temporary transit points before migrants are sent back to their countries of origin or as their final destination.

Under the new legislation, authorities may detain certain migrants for up to 24 months, including families or, in exceptional cases, unaccompanied minors. Migrants who refuse to comply with return orders could face stricter measures, such as reduced social benefits, suspension of work permits, confiscation of identity documents, or even criminal sanctions, including imprisonment.

The law introduces a system for mutual recognition of return decisions among EU member states. This allows a country to implement a return order issued by another member state without restarting the entire procedure, thereby limiting the movement of rejected migrants between EU countries.

According to conservative parliamentarians, the law is intended to change the approach established under the 2008 Return Directive, which allowed rejected migrants to leave the EU voluntarily. Under the new framework, forced returns are expected to become the standard, replacing voluntary departures as the default procedure.