BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has moved forward with a vast overhaul of its migration policy, aiming to ramp up deportations and ink controversial deals to build detention centers abroad. Rights groups have criticized it, comparing the new regulations to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies.
By green-lighting controversial "return hubs" outside the 27-nation EU, the regulation represents the EU's hardest line on migration so far and has drawn sharp criticism from opponents who warn it will endanger migrants and undermine human rights from Spain to Romania.
"The new regulation will speed up the return process and increase returns of persons who have no legal right to stay in the EU," said Nicholas Ioannides, deputy migration minister for Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc.
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The deal was struck between the EU's three main institutions — the European Commission, the European Council and European Parliament — during a so-called "trilogue" Monday evening.
