Even European Union Now Says It’s Time to Deport More Illegals

The European Union is calling on member states to do more to deport illegal immigrants and those without valid reasons for being in their countries, noting a low rate of deportations that are actually carried out.

European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson highlighted the dismal number of deportations among European Union members saying, “Last year, we had a return rate of only 21% of those who are not eligible to stay.”

“When we fail to return people, this hampers our system and erodes trust,” she told media at the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week and added that of the 340,000 deportation decisions, just 60 per cent saw countries even contact the home country of the migrants, Ekathimerini reports.

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“To protect the right to apply for asylum we have to show that we are appropriately dealing with those who do not qualify for international protection,” Johansson said.

Johansson’s comments follow prior calls from the European Union for member states to do more to push back on illegal immigration and increase deportations.

In January, Commissioner Johansson noted that in 2022, the European Union had seen the highest number of illegal arrivals since the height of the migrant crisis in 2016, saying “We are experiencing now an increase of irregular arrivals,” and added, “This puts the asylum systems and our procedures and our reception capacities under huge pressure.”

“Of course, those that are not eligible to stay in the European Union have to be returned to their country of origin,” she said.

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EU member states have debated new measures to increase deportations, including proposals to restrict the number of visas granted to those countries that refuse to take back their nationals.

“Should intensified political and diplomatic efforts not produce the desired results, member states call on the Commission to come back to the Council with proposals on visa restrictions,” Swedish migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in January.