Earlier today, the European Parliament approved a set of measures intended to crack down on illegal immigration. Le Monde reports:
European lawmakers cleared the way, on Thursday, March 26, for tougher penalties for irregular migrants and their potential deportation to so-called “return hubs” outside the bloc. The European Parliament approved the package with support from center-right and far-right groups, in a 389 to 206 vote in Brussels.
Some countries opposed the measures:
Some in the bloc, including France and Spain, have questioned the effectiveness of return centres, which the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an NGO, has described as “legal black holes.”
I would think that is more or less the point. Other countries were strongly supportive:
A small group of countries, including Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands, is nevertheless ploughing ahead and exploring options to set them up, according to a diplomatic source.
Proponents say the hubs could act as a deterrent and discourage migrants from attempting to reach Europe in the first place. “The decisive changes introduced by this regulation will make it possible to simply guarantee this straightforward principle: if you come to Europe illegally, rest assured that you will not stay here,” said conservative French MEP Francois-Xavier Bellamy.
European efforts to block illegal immigration have been hamstrung by endless legal proceedings, with this consequence:
With migrant arrivals down in 2025, focus in Brussels has turned to improving the repatriation system, which currently sees about 20% of people ordered to leave actually returned to their country of origin.
So in effect, there is no rule of law.
Why this shift in EU policy? No doubt it results from electoral gains by “far right” parties, i.e., those representing the majority who are not on board with mass third world immigration:
European governments have sought a tougher stance amid a souring of public opinion on migration that has fuelled far-right electoral gains across the continent.
It seems that even as imperfect a democracy as the European Union must, at some point, respond to public opinion. And who knows? The times might actually be a-changin’. Check out this video of the aftermath of the Parliamentary vote. It’s almost like a State of the Union:
🇪🇺🚨| ¡SE PUDRIÓ TODO!
El Parlamento Europeo, acaba de aprobar el plan de detención y deportación de migrantes más radical jamás propuesto, y las expulsiones y retornos de ilegales se aplicarán inmediatamente.
¡Esto es algo sin PRECEDENTES! pic.twitter.com/n1lk36NwM9— Carlo Martin (@Liberfach0) March 26, 2026
