Europe seeks to increase deportations as some nations embrace Trump-like tactics

The European Union is implementing a series of stringent new migration policies, including offshore “return hubs” and increased surveillance, that critics and human rights groups claim replicate the harsh enforcement tactics used in the United States.

The European Union is significantly expanding its migration enforcement powers by adopting “return hubs” in third countries, a move that critics argue mirrors the controversial tactics of the Trump administration. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, representing the center-right European People’s Party, defended the new Pact on Migration and Asylum—set to take effect June 12—stating, “We have learnt the lessons of the past. And today, we are better equipped” to prevent a resurgence of the 2015 asylum crisis. This shift toward more aggressive deterrence follows the rise of right-wing governments across the 27-nation bloc, with countries like Italy already piloting detention centers in Albania and other nations like Germany and Sweden exploring similar offshore hubs in Africa and elsewhere.

Human rights organizations have voiced alarm over the “hollowing out” of legal protections, documenting an average of 221 “pushbacks” per day across Europe in 2025. A February report from a coalition of humanitarian groups revealed that over 80,000 migrants were forced back across borders last year, often subjected to “beatings, attacks by police dogs, forced stripping, forced river crossings and theft of personal belongings.” Despite the principle of non-refoulement, which forbids returning individuals to face persecution, the EU is increasingly utilizing drones, thermal cameras, and coordinated police raids with the border agency Frontex to detain and deport undocumented individuals.

While advocates like Olivia Sundberg Diez of Amnesty International note that Europe maintains higher levels of judicial independence and human rights compliance than the U.S., many fear the “fundamental political impulse” is now identical. In the United Kingdom, the Labour government reported deporting nearly 60,000 people since July 2024, while EU-wide policies are moving toward allowing naval interceptions in international waters and increased surveillance in private homes. Flor Didden of the human rights group 11.11.11 questioned the lack of public outcry compared to U.S. policies, asking, “Where is that same moral clarity when European border authorities abuse, rob and let people die?”

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