Brussels, Belgium, 25 March 2026 — Tomorrow (Thursday 26th March), the European Parliament is set to vote on whether to move forward with the Return Regulation - new rules which the International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns could lead to a systematic dismantling of protections for people based on their migration status in Europe, and mark a “historic setback” for refugee rights.
Combined with the EU’s new rules outlining the countries considered ‘safe’ for people seeking protection to be sent back to, the Return Regulation would set the ball rolling towards a new punitive EU asylum and migration regime, designed to deter, detain and deport people seeking safety in Europe.
This new system is likely to increase and normalise immigration raids within Europe, establish detention centres outside of EU territory, and increase the risk of people being deported to countries where they have no connections or have never set foot. The IRC and other civil society organisations are deeply concerned this could breach the principle of non-refoulement, meaning people could be sent to places where they face a real risk of persecution, torture, or serious harm, undermining international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Alarmingly, while this legislation sets out the broad direction of travel of deportations, there is a lack of clarity on key details. For example, the text does not specify where the proposed ‘return hubs’ will be based, how people whose asylum claims have been rejected will be identified and sent to them, how long they will be forced to stay, and where they will ultimately live in the longer-term. It is also unclear how these facilities will be monitored, and perpetrators will be held to account for any human rights violations that happen within their walls. These new rules will also apply to families with children, putting young people and others with vulnerabilities at risk of abuse and exploitation.
The IRC is urging MEPs to take a stand against this dangerous direction of travel, and vote against these new rules in the plenary vote on Thursday.
Marta Welander, IRC’s EU Advocacy Director, says:
“With this decision, Members of the European Parliament hold the futures of people seeking safety in their hands. A vote in favour of this Regulation is a vote for more immigration raids, more criminalisation, and more detention of vulnerable people, including children. It signals a systematic dismantling of protections for people based on their migration status in Europe, and a historic setback for refugee rights.
“As we’ve stated multiple times, this vote will pave the way for new offshore detention centres - so called ‘return hubs’ - which are essentially legal black holes. They will be located outside of EU territory, where policymakers cannot guarantee that people’s rights will be upheld. It remains unknown exactly how these new processes will work in practice, where people held inside these centres will ultimately end up, or how they will be able to rebuild their lives, leaving the door open to a range of rights violations.
“Such a decision would take the EU even further down a road that undermines its own moral and legal principles. However, the EU still has the opportunity to chart a different course - upholding the right to asylum, and setting a high standard for refugee protection globally. The EU has the means to treat people seeking safety with dignity and respect. Now is the moment for MEPs to stand behind these principles, to push back against those who seek to demonise and dehumanise people seeking protection, and forge truly sustainable solutions.”
The IRC is calling on the EU and its member states to instead:
- Ensure that every asylum application is assessed on its own merits.
- Guarantee that nobody will be forced to a country that is unsafe for them.
- Uphold and strengthen the right to asylum in Europe - regardless of how people arrive, or where they come from.
If this vote is approved, the next step will be for the file to enter trilogues, when it will be negotiated between the European Parliament, Commission and Council, before being implemented in 2028.
Notes to editors:
The Return Regulation outlines a common system for the return of non-EU citizens, who do not or no longer meet the conditions for entry, stay or residence in the EU. In March 2025, the European Commission published its full proposal, allowing states to take new approaches to deport people.
So-called ‘return hubs’ are detention facilities located outside of the EU’s borders, designed to hold people whose asylum cases have been refused or who have been deemed unauthorised to remain in the EU for any other reason. At the moment, people staying irregularly in the EU are usually allowed to remain on its territory until they are deported. However, under this new law, people would be forcibly removed to facilities in non-EU countries whilst awaiting their final deportation.
The ‘safe third country’ agreement outlines where people can be deported to - other than their country of origin - if their application for international protection is denied without being examined in full. It removes the previous need for there to be a personal connection between the applicant and that country, making it possible for people to be sent to a country they have only briefly traveled through, or never set foot in and have no connection with.
The ‘safe country of origin’ list deems certain countries, from which 20% or fewer applicants are granted international protection in the EU, to be safe. As a result, their asylum applications will be fast-tracked and likely denied. This could result in people with specific vulnerabilities slipping through the net, or not being able to access adequate legal support. The current countries deemed to be ‘safe’ are Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia.
Learn more in our explainer: What do the latest decisions on ‘safe countries’ and returns mean for people on the move?