EU hubs: costly, ineffective, and potential human rights blind spots
Statement on behalf of Danish Refugee Council Secretary General Charlotte Slente
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) regrets today’s joint Ministerial commitment to establish return hubs for failed asylum seekers. Return hubs risk becoming ‘exemption zones’ where fundamental human rights disappear, excessive force is routine, and people are denied essential services.
Previous attempts at establishing deportation hubs in various formats have been extraordinarily costly, mired in administrative and legal challenges, and have ultimately failed to influence the decisions and behaviours of asylum seekers and irregular migrants.
While Member States have a legal right to manage their borders and migration into their territory, they also have an obligation to respect the right to seek asylum and the human rights of all people, regardless of their status, including rejected asylum seekers and other persons without lawful stay.
Prior to deporting any individuals, DRC calls on the governments involved to confirm the concrete legal status people transferred to any hub will have, regardless of where these will be. What essential human rights safeguards will be put in place, as well as independent oversight? People will need a clear and time-limited process and access to legal and medical aid.
DRC’s Mixed Migration Centre data systematically concludes that restrictive migration policies and deterrence measures significantly increase the vulnerability of people on the move but have little to no impact on their migration decisions.
Addressing the complexity of irregular migration needs a whole-of-route approach where the rights and needs of people are put at the centre. A route-based approach looks at the full cycle of migration from country of origin, transit, destination, and country of return.
EU Member States are investing exorbitant resources for a political solution aimed at deterrence. But let's be clear: returns hubs focus on a small number of returns, they will not stop people from taking even more dangerous routes, and they could violate basic human rights. It would be wiser to implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. This includes strengthening national asylum systems and dignified returns processes, expanding legal migration pathways and supporting fragile and conflict-affected states where displacement and migration are often driven by insecurity, conflict, and lack of opportunities.
Available for interviews:
Charlotte Slente, DRC Secretary General
Celine Mias, DRC EU Director
DRC MEDIA CONTACTS:
International media: Affan Chowdhry, [email protected] +447918588379
Danish media: [email protected], +4528116727