Denmark hopes to begin sending rejected asylum seekers to non-European Union “return hubs” as early as 2027, officials announced Friday. The move is part of a broader European initiative to establish migrant detention centers outside the continent.
In June, European lawmakers approved allowing member states to negotiate the creation of these external centers. Any EU nation can now pursue agreements, individually or in coalitions, to deport migrants not to their home countries but to facilities planned in third countries beyond the 27-nation bloc.
"We cannot accept that people without a legal stay continue to reside in our respective countries," stated Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. He was speaking at a meeting in Copenhagen with ministers from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Greece, who are also involved in establishing these deportation centers.
Rasmussen added, "And at the same time we would like to work together with third countries to be able to give irregular migrants a second chance in a partner country."
These five nations have been in discussions with governments, primarily in Africa, to host sites for rejected asylum seekers. This effort is pioneering the initiative for the entire EU.
Denmark's Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bødskov expressed his hope that the non-EU return hubs would be operational by 2027. He indicated that talks with potential host countries have reached a critical stage.
"Today we take the next step, here today with my European colleagues, to realize return hubs as soon as possible in the upcoming years," said Bart van den Brink, Austria's asylum and migration minister, in Copenhagen.
A spokesperson for the Rwandan government stated in early August that it was natural for their government to negotiate with European countries and others regarding the potential hosting of asylum seekers not permitted to reside elsewhere.
Migrant rights organizations have voiced criticism regarding the European initiative, citing concerns about the potential difficulty in monitoring and enforcing human rights compliance at deportation centers located abroad.
"Vague assurances of compliance with human rights law are not enough," said Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in an emailed statement. "States need to commit to the guardrails necessary to prevent setting up human rights black holes."
The Brussels-based rights group PICUM condemned the meeting in Copenhagen. "EU leaders may call these centers an 'innovative solution,' but outsourcing migration control is an old tactic to simply move people out of sight and evade human rights obligations," stated the group's director, Michele LeVoy.