EU: European Parliament Votes to Expand Punitive Detention and Deportation Powers Under New Return Regulation

Last updated: 5 October 2026

Photo: European Parliament - Kalliop3

The European Parliament voted on March 26, 2026 to adopt its negotiating position on a new EU Return Regulation, which would vastly expand detention periods, increase restrictions on people subject to return decisions, and introduce the possibility of sending migrants to "return hubs" — offshore detention centres in countries where they have no prior connection. Amnesty International condemned the vote as a dangerous step toward draconian and rights-incompatible migration policy.

What the Return Regulation Would Do

The European Commission presented its proposal to replace the existing Return Directive in March 2025. Following rushed negotiations led primarily by the European People's Party in coalition with right-wing and far-right groups, the Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee adopted its position on 9 March 2026. The Parliament's endorsement of this position on March 26 opens the way for trilogue negotiations with the Council, expected to advance rapidly.

The regulation would impose disproportionate sanctions and restrictions on individuals issued with a return decision; dramatically expand the use and duration of immigration detention; and allow authorities to send people to so-called return hubs in third countries where they have never lived. Amnesty International has warned that return hubs cannot be implemented in a manner consistent with human rights law and must be categorically rejected. More than 200 civil society organisations signed a joint statement calling on EU institutions to reject the deportation rules.

Amnesty International's Response

Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office, said: "Today the European Parliament has voted to expand the EU's punitive and restrictive detention and deportation plans. This agreement was rushed through negotiations without adequate scrutiny or meaningful human rights assessments. This marks a growing trend towards increasingly harmful, exclusionary, and draconian policies on migration."

Amnesty International called on EU member states in the Council to reject the most harmful elements of the Parliament's position during trilogue negotiations, and to ensure that any final text fully complies with international refugee law, the principle of non-refoulement, and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Source: Amnesty International — EU: European Parliament greenlights punitive detention and deportation plans (March 26, 2026)