European Parliament approves creation of ‘return centers’ for illegal immigrants

The European Parliament on Thursday gave the green light to a marked tightening of migration policy on the continent and backed a proposal to set up "return centers" aimed at moving migrants out of European Union territory (E.U.).

Currently, only about 20% of deportation orders issued in the E.U. are ever enforced, a figure widely questioned by those who advocate for stricter migration policy.

Broad political backing for tougher policy

Support for the initiative came from a majority of member states, who not only backed the proposal during the vote but also celebrated its approval with prolonged applause in plenary.

In the face of pressure to tighten the rules, the European Commission presented a project a year ago aimed at increasing the number of expulsions. The mechanism was approved Thursday by a large majority of MEPs from the right and center gathered at the plenary session in Brussels.

According to French center-right MEP François Xavier Bellamy, a member of French political party Les Républicains, the text will make it possible to "guarantee a simple principle: if you enter Europe illegally, rest assured that you will not stay here."

External centers and strengthened sanctions

The proposal authorizes member states to set up centers for migrants in countries outside the E.U., in order to transfer there and eventually hold people whose asylum applications have been rejected and who are obliged to leave the territory.

The approved text also introduces tougher rules and penalties for rejected asylum seekers who refuse to leave the European Union, including the withdrawal of identity documents, arrests and entry bans for longer periods.

Finally, it incorporates a system of mutual recognition of decisions taken by each member state, so that, for example, a decision made in France can be applied equally in Spain and vice versa.