Germany and four other European Union countries are seeking to finalize agreements with a non-EU nation to operate detention centers, known as "return hubs," where they would process rejected asylum seekers outside EU territory. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said after a meeting with counterparts from Denmark, Greece, Austria and the Netherlands in Copenhagen on Friday that the five countries aim to reach an agreement with a third country this year. Dobrindt said "technical discussions" were underway with countries outside the EU but declined to name them.
The plan builds on tougher migration rules approved by the European Parliament in June. Danish Migrations Minister Morten Bodskov said the group expects "a common understanding with a partner country outside of the European Union" by around New Year. Both the Greek and Danish migration ministers said they aim for the hubs to become operational by 2027.
Uganda and Rwanda have been identified as possible host countries. A legal assessment by the European Court of Justice in April concluded that similar deportation centers Italy operates in Albania do not violate EU law. EU law requires that deportees receive legal counsel and linguistic support and maintain contact with families and authorities.
Rights groups and charities have condemned the scheme. Andreas Grünewald, a migration expert with the German evangelical charity Brot für die Welt, said the plans were "practically difficult to implement and highly problematic in terms of human rights." Marta Welander from the International Rescue Committee warned that deportees may face "persecution, torture or worse" in their destination countries.
Caritas, a Catholic charity operating in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Slovakia, said migrants risked becoming trapped in a "legal grey area" if "arbitrarily and indefinitely detained" in the hubs. Florian Westphal, CEO of Save The Children Germany, warned that the centers carried "the risk of massive violations of children's rights."
