The European People’s Party has joined with the far-right groups in the European Parliament, Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and Patriots (PfE), to push forward the “toughest regulations ever proposed regarding returns and expulsions of immigrants.” The NGOs claim that the measure “dismantles fundamental human rights guarantees.”
At first, a proposal was being negotiated between the group of social democrats and liberals, but given the failure to reach an agreement, the European Popular Party has presented an alternative text of the bill, which has been supported by far-right groups.
The MEP of the Greens/EFA and rapporteur of the Return Regulation, Melissa Camara, explained that “the text adopted by the committee, with a majority from the right and extreme right, reflects a racist and populist ideology, and will endanger lives and violate the dignity of people. The basic principles of the rule of law are widely violated. The EPP has shown again that its positions on immigration policies are aligned with extreme right groups.”
Silvia Carta, head of the Platform for International Cooperation with Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), commented that “this vote seals a toxic alliance between centre-right and far-right forces, after weeks of shadow agreements to eliminate the last safeguards. It puts hundreds of thousands of people, including children, at risk of being detained across Europe and allows member states to separate families, sending them to deportation centers in countries where they have never been.”
The measure puts on the table such controversial actions as the possibility that Member States can establish deportation centers outside the EU, even for families with children. It also makes forced returns (deportations) the default option for people in an irregular situation. This measure massively expands the use and duration of detention for immigration reasons, including for children: from 18 to 24 months, with the possibility of restrictive movement and control measures after two years. In addition, it will require Member States to impose geographical restrictions for all persons in the return procedure.
It also introduces measures such as indefinite entry bans that could be determined at the national level (including “permanent” in cases where security risks are invoked), financial sanctions or limitations on financial assistance, and criminal sanctions for people who do not cooperate with their deportation. It allows states to declare “emergency” situations in which safeguards during detention are ignored, such as limiting judicial review of detention decisions, including for families and children, when there are “exceptionally high numbers” of people awaiting deportation.
The head of the VOX delegation in the European Parliament, Jorge Buxadé, commented on the measure that “today the European Parliament takes the first step towards the deportations and re-emigration that Europe needs. It is only the first step, but a big step. Europe is beginning to recognize the migration problem and provide itself with the tools to confront it.”
For her part, Sarah Chander, director of the Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, points out that “the vote reveals the total control of the far right over EU migration policy. Since March last year, the Commission, the Council and now the European Parliament have willingly pandered to the wishes of extremist politicians across Europe. We now see that the support of centrist politicians is not even required, and Europe legislates its own ICE-style framework.”
Source: www.eldiario.es
