Charlie Weimers (ECR-Sweden), a member of the European Parliament, said Tuesday that an "era of deportations" has begun within the European Union [1].

The statement follows a deal on what is described as the strictest migration law in the history of the bloc [1]. This legislative shift marks a pivot toward more aggressive enforcement of returns and the use of external infrastructure to manage migration flows [1].

Speaking on the Euronews morning show "Europe Today," Weimers said the new measures are a response to the long-term effects of irregular movement into Europe [1]. He said, "We are now seeing the consequences of years of illegal migration" [2].

A central component of the new agreement is the establishment of return hubs located outside the borders of the EU [3]. Weimers said the deal creates these hubs to facilitate the removal of individuals who do not have a legal right to remain in the territory [3].

According to Weimers, the deal represents the most stringent approach to migration the EU has ever adopted [3]. He said that the move to externalize the return process is a direct result of previous policy failures regarding illegal migration [2].

The implementation of these hubs is intended to streamline the deportation process by moving the administrative and holding phases of return to third-party locations [1]. This strategy aims to reduce the burden on internal EU infrastructure, while increasing the volume of successful deportations [1].

Weimers did not specify the exact locations of the proposed hubs during the broadcast, but he said that the legal framework now supports a more rigorous enforcement regime [3].

“"An era of deportations has begun."”

The shift toward 'external return hubs' represents a significant escalation in the EU's strategy to outsource border management. By moving the deportation process outside its own borders, the bloc seeks to bypass domestic legal hurdles and political friction associated with detention centers, potentially signaling a broader trend of externalizing migration control to third-party nations.