Analysis
EU Parliament lays the groundwork for ICE-style ‘era of deportations’
This measure has been called the “missing piece” of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. It destroys one of the core principles upon which the European space was built after the defeat of Nazism and fascism: the right to asylum.
“The era of deportations has begun.” This was the triumphant summary from Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers of the Sweden Democrats, a party in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group – the same bloc as Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy. The reaction from the right side of the chamber was equally triumphant: a standing ovation from conservatives in the far-right seats following the final green light for the negotiating position on the new return regulation.
“Today's vote confirms a growing and stable majority in the European Parliament for more effective returns,” Weimers argued. This majority is different from the one that supported European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's reelection; for now, regarding immigration rules, it firmly unites the European People's Party (EPP) and the far right.
Of the 389 “Yes” votes – against 206 “No” votes and 32 abstentions – just under half came from the EPP, which recorded just eight defections. All 83 members of the Patriots for Europe group voted in favor, as did the 73 members of the ECR. In the Europe of Sovereign Nations group, which includes the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, two members abstained while the other 26 voted “yes,” as did 12 MEPs from Renew Europe and seven from the Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
These are the numbers of shame, with the latter belonging to those who voted for a text that marks another step in the European Union's Trumpian drift. The regulation will now proceed to three-party discussions with the European Commission and the European Council, and then return to the parliamentary floor. When it becomes law, “return hubs” will be established – deportation centers opened in third countries to warehouse the “irregular” migrants rejected by member states. The rules do not specify whose jurisdiction will apply: whether it will be that of the European country, as in the Italy-Albania protocol, or that of the non-EU country, as in the UK-Rwanda model.
Administrative detention – the ethnicity-based confinement of people who have committed no crimes – is being expanded in terms of its justifications, duration and categories. Minors will also end up behind bars. The maximum duration will rise to 24 months from the current 18. The grounds justifying detention are multiplying. It could even be triggered for someone who has a residence permit renewal process underway and is merely awaiting the outcome.
In the Brussels Parliament's position, Article 6 regarding ICE-style roundups has been set aside. It was removed from the binding portion of the text but remains an option for member states. It will return during the three-party negotiations: the Council supports it, arguing that searching for people in public spaces, hospitals and homes is necessary to effectively implement the regulation. This measure has been called the “missing piece” of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. It destroys one of the core principles upon which the European space was built after the defeat of Nazism and fascism: the right to asylum. It creates the framework to set in motion the massive deportation machine dreamed of by sovereignists everywhere in the world and seen in action in Trump's US, with controversial political and economic results even for the tycoon himself.
Thus, Giorgia Meloni can breathe a sigh of relief after her referendum defeat and amidst her cabinet purge. “Europe is finally heading in the right direction, along a path that Italy has strongly supported,” the prime minister wrote on social media. The Italian right also expressed its broad agreement. “This decision by the EU Parliament is grave and inhumane. It will fall on girls, boys and women who will become targets of deportation, just like in the US,” responded Pierfrancesco Majorino, a Democratic Party MEP.
“This vote marks a dangerous turning point, as center-right forces break the cordon sanitaire to align with the far right. A toxic alliance that is paving the way for mass detention, family separation, and deportations, putting countless lives at risk,” denounced Silvia Carta from the NGO network PICUM. On Thursday morning, a coalition of 20 Italian nongovernmental organizations had called for the regulation to be rejected without compromise. Meanwhile, over 1,000 healthcare professionals signed an appeal by Doctors of the World denouncing the regulation's harmful effects on all of society: it will contribute to the exclusion of thousands of people from medical care and shatter a pillar of medical ethics – patient confidentiality. “We refuse to become tools for enforcing immigration laws,” they wrote.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/il-parlamento-ue-avvia-lera-delle-deportazioni on 2026-03-27