EU Nations Plan Deportation of Failed Asylum Seekers to Third Countries

Five European Union countries are advancing plans to deport asylum seekers whose applications are rejected to third countries outside the EU. This move follows the EU’s approval of new rules that enable this action. The countries involved are Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands. They have agreed on a framework to establish ‘return hubs’ outside the EU for individuals who have exhausted their legal options to remain in Europe.

The Danish Interior Minister, Morten Bødskov, stated, ‘When it comes to return hubs, it’s progressing very well. We are moving in the right direction.’ Denmark aims to transfer the first irregular migrants to a partner country outside the EU by 2027. Greece anticipates a pilot project in the first half of next year, as shared by Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris.

A file photo from December 19, 2025, shows migrants waiting at the port of Agia Galini after being rescued by the Greek coast guard on the island of Crete. (Costas Metaxakis/AFP/Getty)

While no specific destinations for these hubs have been confirmed, Rwanda is considered a potential partner. According to a Greek government statement, the hubs would be located in safe third countries, particularly on the African continent.

The EU has presented the return hubs as a potential deterrent to irregular immigration. A discussion paper from the EU’s European Council indicated that the hubs could ‘incentivize voluntary returns,’ as migrants who fail to comply with deportation orders might be transferred to a hub. The policy also aims to deter people without valid asylum claims from making dangerous journeys to Europe.

The new rules establish a legal framework for these returns within the EU, allowing member states to make bilateral or unilateral agreements with non-EU countries. These agreements must adhere to international human rights standards, ensuring no individual is sent back to a country where they would face torture or inhumane treatment.

Following U.S. and U.K. Examples

Third-country deportations have been actively used by the Trump administration in the U.S. During a ten-day period in August, over 100 deportees were sent to eight African countries. The destinations included Liberia, Rwanda, Eswatini, and Sierra Leone. Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris expressed admiration for the U.S. approach, stating it influenced Europe’s new migration policy.

Attempts have been made by other European nations to deport individuals to third countries, but these have met with mixed results. The former Conservative Party government in Britain tried to process asylum claims in Rwanda. However, the U.K. Supreme Court declared the scheme unlawful due to the potential risk of returning refugees to persecution. After the Labour Party took power, the policy was abandoned, costing £715 million.

No Shortcuts in Migration Policy

European governments should anticipate legal challenges even when third countries appear less controversial. Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at Oxford’s Migration Observatory, suggested deterrent policies assume a realistic chance of transfer. Without significant relocations, the deterrent effect weakens. Walsh stressed that migration policies often relocate challenges but do not eliminate them. Governments must still manage courts, individual rights, administrative challenges, countries that may resist cooperation, and considerable costs.

Broader Efforts to Control Immigration

Establishing return hubs is part of broader efforts by European nations to tighten immigration policies under pressure to remove people lacking legal right to stay. Jacob Reynolds, policy director at the Freedom and Sovereignty Initiative Europe, views the EU decision on these hubs as a positive step. However, he warns that outsourcing illegal migration problems could neglect issues like border control and generous asylum regimes in Europe.