New EU migration chief promises to deliver on deportation pledges

Deportations as a way to manage irregular migration are a key priority for the European Union, the Associated Press reported on Thursday (January 16). 

On a recent visit to Athens, Magnus Brunner, the European Union’s new top migration official, told Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “The topic of returns is something we have to deliver, definitely.” 

Greece, a major entry point for irregular arrivals, has been struggling to manage the number of people landing on its shores, including an increase in the numbers of unaccompanied minors.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) indicates that the number of unaccompanied or separated children who arrived in Greece last year more than doubled to an estimated 3,000 this year.

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Stronger implementation

Brunner stressed that the EU would look at implementing the bloc’s Migration and Asylum Pact.

The EU adopted the Migration and Asylum Pact in May 2024 after years of negotiations. The pact consists of a new set of migration management policies that are reported to establish a unified approach to managing migration by securing external borders, streamlining asylum procedures, and enhancing solidarity among member states. Forging international partnerships to address the root causes of migration, combat smuggling, and promote legal migration pathways is also one of the key strategies outlined in the pact.  

Frontex, the European bloc’s border patrol agency, is tasked to manage irregular arrivals through various enhanced screening procedures and ensure fair returns under the procedures outlined in the EU Reintegration Programme.

In an email, a European Commission spokesperson told InfoMigrants. “The Pact on Migration and Asylum [which will enter into application mid-2026] has robust mechanisms in place to ensure that fundamental rights are upheld.”

Measures to ensure rights protections include EU Member States establishing and financing a new independent monitoring mechanism, which will enhance transparency and accountability during the screening and the border procedure in compliance with EU and international law.

The spokesperson further added that substantiated allegations of failure to respect fundamental rights will be dealt with effectively.

“As part of a functioning asylum and migration system, those who have no legal right to stay in Europe must be returned. Supporting voluntary returns and sustainable reintegration in countries of origin is a key objective,” the spokesperson explained, adding that as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in December, a stronger legislative framework in the area of returns would be a key focus of the EU.

Legal pathways instead of deportation

PICUM, a Brussels-based rights group that focuses on undocumented migrants told InfoMigrants that they are following the developments “with concern.” They believe the lack of an impact assessment and proper consultation processes may lead to the pact once more prioritizing deportations and immigration control over human rights. 

“The timing and speed of this upcoming proposal for a new Returns Directive clearly shows how the European Commission is caving in to pressure from various member states to increase and speed up deportations, and in the worst scenario even create deportation centers outside the EU,” Gianluca Cesaro, Senior Communications Officer for PICUM told InfoMigrants.  

PICUM called for legal pathways to Europe that would allow people to live and work in the EU safely.

“Instead of focusing on deporting people, Europe should focus on…regularization measures to grant safe and stable residence permits to people in precarious situations, and labor migration policies that allow people to come and work in Europe in safety and dignity,” said Cesaro.

Entry and exit into Europe

Data from border control agency, Frontex, showed a dramatic drop of 38 percent in irregular boat crossings into the EU in 2024. There were over 239,000 irregular crossings recorded last year, the lowest level since 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic hampered migrant journeys.

Similarly, the number of asylum applications filed in Europe dropped in 2024 too. Asylum applications in the European Union, Norway and Switzerland decreased by around 12 percent in 2024, according to a report by European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).

Offical EU statistics indicate that in the first half of 2024, approximately 198,100 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave the EU, a 10 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, the number of non-EU citizens returned to a non-EU country stood at 48,250 or about 24 percent of all return decisions issued during the first half of the year.

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Digital walls to keep out

A joint study by European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and PICUM revealed that EU border management funds are being used to build infrastructure that allegedly contribute to human rights violations.

According to the study, the 6.2 billion euros Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) for 2021–2027, has allocated 4 billion euros to member states so far. The funds have reportedly been used to bolster border surveillance including the use of technology to replace physical surveillance, effectively building “digital walls”.

As an example, the study cited Estonia spending a reported 2 million euros on mobile remote sensing systems to increase border surveillance in areas “where it is not economically feasible to build a permanent infrastructure.”

“In general these technologies make borders more dangerous and push people into ever riskier journeys to try and circumvent them,” PICUM’s Cesaro said.

In response, the EU spokesperson said, “member states have an obligation to protect the external borders. They are the ones best placed to define how they do this in practice.” 

“It is clear that any method used needs to be part of an integrated approach to border management. This means that you need an entire system in place: mobile and physical infrastructure, including deployment by Frontex,” the spokesperson added.