Five countries, Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands, are seeking to establish the first deportation center on the African continent, which is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2027. Greece's Minister of Migration, Thanassis Plevris, announced in an interview with a Greek television network that this center will be known as "return hubs" and its aim is to organize the return of rejected asylum seekers to their home countries.
Details of the Deportation Center
Plevris stated that Greece has chosen an African country for this center but cannot disclose its name yet. While some diplomatic and media sources have mentioned Rwanda or Uganda, neither of these countries has been confirmed as the definitive location. He clarified that this center does not mean sending rejected individuals to a closed facility in a third country, but rather aims to create "open facilities."
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Responsibility and Oversight of Operations
The responsibility for individuals transferred to this center will not be handed over to the partner African country to prevent potential human rights complaints. Instead, this responsibility will remain with the five EU member countries. Additionally, these European countries will fully cover the costs of the project. It is planned that international organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will oversee the operations to ensure compliance with international human rights standards.
In recent years, there have been multiple efforts to establish deportation centers or transfer asylum processes to countries outside the European Union, but none of these models have worked properly and have failed due to legal obstacles, governmental changes, or high costs.
Background and Challenges
The UK, during Boris Johnson's government and then Rishi Sunak's, attempted to transfer migrants who entered the country illegally to Rwanda for their asylum processes to take place there. However, the UK Supreme Court declared this plan illegal, finding that migrants transferred to Rwanda faced a real risk of returning to countries where they might face persecution and torture.
Italy, under Giorgia Meloni's leadership, also signed an agreement with Albania to transfer migrants in the Mediterranean Sea to centers managed by Italy in Albania, but immediately after the opening of these centers, Italian courts halted the transfer.
In 2021, Denmark passed a law allowing migrants to be transferred to third countries outside the EU, but this plan also faced severe criticism from the European Commission and human rights organizations.
Future Outlook
According to the new EU regulations, it is now possible to transfer individuals who must leave the Union to a safe third country without a prior personal connection. Proponents of these measures hope that these plans will reduce the basis for human rights claims regarding permanent asylum protection. However, critics, including Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International, still see significant risks and are concerned that independent oversight and effective legal representation in these centers may not be fully guaranteed.
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