The EU’s controversial deportation bill is heading for a crucial vote next week at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, as lawmakers make last-minute efforts to amend legislation that would allow member states to deport rejected asylum seekers abroad.
The bill is likely to sail through at Wednesday’s (17 June) plenary with the support of a right-wing majority that includes far-right forces and the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), following a political agreement with EU states earlier this month.
Despite being outflanked by the right, the progressive and left-leaning political forces in the Parliament are hoping to soften the restrictions in the bill with fresh amendments.
The bill has roused widespread criticism for allowing EU states to create so-called return hubs in foreign countries. What those hubs would look like remains unclear.
But the core concept is that these facilities would be reserved for individuals whose asylum claims have been rejected, who have been ordered to leave Europe, and who cannot return to their home countries for a variety of reasons.
