EU Approves New Migration Law That Allows Home Raids and Third-Country Deportations

The European Parliament approved a new immigration law on Wednesday that allows immigrants to be deported to deportation centers in non-EU countries and immigration authorities to raid residences to enforce deportation orders.

The Vote: Many conservative members of the European Parliament (MEPs) joined "far-right" MEPs to approve the measure in a vote that finished with 418 votes for and 218 against.

Law Provisions: Under the new law, unauthorized immigrants will receive a formal return order and be given up to 30 days to voluntarily leave the EU. This will standardize deportation operations so authorities in one member state can enforce decisions issued by other member states without having to restart the process themselves. The law raises the maximum detention period for unauthorized migrants from six months to two years. Entry bans will also become stricter for those who overstay their welcome, rising from five to ten years. Migrants deemed a security risk can be detained or banned indefinitely.

How The Media Covered It: The new policy, which outlets across the spectrum framed as stricter than previous rules, was covered by several mainstream European outlets and a few American ones. It was more widely covered at the beginning of June, when the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament first struck the deal. Associated Press (Left bias), EUobserver (Lean Left), and Euronews (Center) all framed the bill as "controversial." Last week, EUobserver ran coverage that emphasized the bill was "set to sail through parliament" and also noted flailing efforts from politicians on the left to stop or hamper the bill.

Key Quotes: Euronews included a critical quote from an opposition MEP. Ana Catarina Mendes of the left-wing Socialists and Democrats said, "This regulation risks normalizing legally questionable practices that would have been unthinkable in the EU only a few years ago." Brussels Signal (Right) included quotes from MEPs on both sides. German MEP Mary Khan told the outlet, "For years, illegal migrants have been able to delay, evade, or actively obstruct their deportation. Today, we are sending a clear message: Anyone who is here illegally will not make Germany their home."

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.