The issue of returns: the pragmatism of rights versus the ideology of deportation

On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the European Commission proposed a radical tightening of the rules on the expulsion of irregular migrants (here is the press release and the proposed regulation).

The new approach also includes the highly controversial possibility of forced transfer to “fourth countries” (neither countries of origin nor transit countries) that agree to operate as return hubs, temporary detention centers awaiting repatriation (see the position paper of the European Agency for Fundamental Rights).

This initiative by the Commission overturns a long-established EU approach, which has so far given priority to assisted voluntary return, generally considered a more economical and effective (not to mention more humane) option than forced return. The change proposed by Brunner and von der Leyen is entirely politically motivated and has a populist aftertaste.

At a time like this, it is important not to abandon a pragmatic and evidence-based approach to a central component of migration policy. This is what FIERI has attempted to do with a participatory workshop on returns, conducted with a small group of experts with a migration background, as part of a larger research project coordinated by the University of Milan-Bicocca (NADIHO project: “Navigating Returns: West African Experiences of Difficult Homecoming”). Today, we present a general framework document on voluntary return policies and a programmatic manifesto containing the guidelines that emerged during this participatory process.