Europe seeks to increase deportations as some nations embrace Trump-like tactics

The European Union is expanding its powers to track, raid and deport migrants to "return hubs " in third countries in Africa and elsewhere, quietly adopting tactics of the Trump administration.

BRUSSELS — The European Union is expanding its powers to track, raid and deport migrants to "return hubs " in third countries in Africa and elsewhere, quietly adopting tactics of the Trump administration that have drawn public criticism across the 27-nation bloc.

The E.U. continues to tighten migration policies after right-wing parties took power in some countries in 2024. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, from the center-right European People's Party coalition, has said the new measures will prevent a repeat of the 2015 crisis caused by Syria's civil war, when about 1 million people arrived to seek asylum.

"We have learnt the lessons of the past. And today, we are better equipped," von der Leyen has said. The new policies, known as the Pact on Migration and Asylum, go into effect on June 12.

Far-right parties in Europe have praised the deportation policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and called for the E.U. to adopt a similar approach. Human rights groups warn that authorities are already illegally pushing back migrants at E.U. borders and hollowing out their legal protections.

The E.U. already spends millions of dollars to deter migrants before they reach its shores, and has supported tens of thousands of Africans returning home, voluntarily or by force.