Denmark says it hopes to start sending rejected asylum seekers to non-EU “return hubs" by 2027 Denmark said it hoped to begin sending rejected asylum seekers to non-European Union “return hubs” as early as 2027, ahead of a Friday meeting of five countries leading European efforts to establish such centers outside the continent. In June, European lawmakers voted to allow member states to set up migrant detention centers outside the EU, known as “return hubs.” Any EU nation can now negotiate on its own or in small coalitions to deport migrants not to their home countries but to facilities yet to be built in third countries, outside the 27-nation bloc. The five countries have been negotiating with governments mainly in Africa to host sites to hold rejected asylum seekers, pioneering the initiative for the whole of the EU.
In an interview with Danish broadcaster DR published on Friday, Denmark's Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bødskov said he hoped that the non-EU return hubs would already be in place in 2027. Bødskov said talks with non-EU countries had reached a crucial phase. In early August, a spokesperson for the Rwandan government told local media that “it was natural” for her government to negotiate with European countries and others to potentially host asylum seekers who are not allowed to live elsewhere.
Migrant rights group have criticized European efforts to set up deportation centers abroad where it may be difficult to monitor and enforce human rights compliance. In an emailed statement, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, said “vague assurances of compliance with human rights law are not enough." “States need to commit to the guardrails necessary to prevent setting up human rights black holes,” he said. Brussels-based rights group PICUM condemned the meeting in Copenhagen.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
