EU parliament backs measures facilitating deportation of illegal migrants to ‘safe’ countries

 Humaira Binte Kabir

Bangladesh should work seriously and meticulously on the matter on irregular and illegal migration to European Union (EU) countries as the European Parliament recently approved a pair of texts aimed at tightening the continent’s migration policy, with backing from an alliance of right and far-right lawmakers.

Far-left lawmaker Damien Careme called it a “Christmas gift to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,” in reference to the Italian leader’s plan for migrant processing centres in Albania, which faces legal hurdles, according to Arab Weekly.

One of the measures would allow asylum seekers to be sent to countries deemed “safe” by the EU, even if they are not their country of origin. Rights groups have strongly criticised the EU measure, warning of risks to asylum seekers in third countries.

At the consultation for the International Migration Review Forum 2026, the EU - represented by Ms Jurate Smalskyte Merville, Councillor at the EU Delegation - recognised Bangladesh’s progress in terms of digital systems and policies, notably the criminalisation of migrant smuggling. But too many migrants still face high costs, informal brokers and unsafe journeys. The EU-Bangladesh migration partnership is working to reduce irregular migration, expand legal pathways, strengthen return and reintegration, and tackle trafficking and smuggling. So that migration is safe, fair and dignified.

Meanwhile, the United States has announced a temporary halt on issuing immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries, including Bangladesh, as part of a review focused on the use of public welfare benefits.

The decision was confirmed recently by the US Department of State. Officials said the pause follows a policy review ordered by Donald Trump, who has repeatedly argued that immigrants should be financially independent and not rely on government support.

The updated policy, titled Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of Public Benefits Usage, was last revised on January 14. It will come into effect from January 21, 2026.

Meanwhile, a second measure backed by parliament is the creation of a list of countries of origin considered “safe” by the EU, making it harder for their citizens to claim asylum in the bloc.

The list includes Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia, with the goal of speeding up processing of asylum claims and facilitating returns.

Far-right lawmaker Fabrice Leggeri called the steps necessary to “reduce the unbearable pressure of unfounded asylum requests on our member states.”

His political group, the Patriots of Europe that includes France’s National Rally, joined forces with the centre-right to pass the texts, which were approved by EU member states last week.

A decline in irregular entries to Europe, down by around 20 percent so far in 2025 compared to last year, has not eased the political pressure to act on the hot-button issue.

Nearly one million people applied for asylum in the EU last year and about 440,000 were granted protection.

Bangladesh missions in European Union countries have no proper and reliable statistics of unregistered and irregular Bangladeshis living in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal, Poland, Hungary and Romania.         

However, sources said the number of unregistered and irregular Bangladeshis is likely higher in Italy, and under the exiting situation, Italy may send them to migrant processing centres in Albania.

Meanwhile, President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) M Humayun Kabir while talking to this correspondent said that Bangladesh should work on this issue very seriously

Top politicians, policymakers, members of civil society and student leaders of Bangladesh should work together on preventing and discouraging of illegal migration, said M Humayun Kabir, former Bangladesh Ambassador to USA.

The Bangladesh government should work on averting illegal and irregular migrations as a good number of real and guanine students are going to EU countries to pursue higher education and representatives of the export oriented industries regularly visit the EU countries, said a top exporter of readymade garment industry.

Bangladesh-EU trade stands at €22 billion trade in 2024 and out of that Bangladesh exports stand at 20 and EU stands €2 billion,

Meanwhile, Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro said that Italy, as an EU member, promotes and supports regular and legal migration, as it requires manpower in different sectors.

"Bangladesh should put greater emphasis on legal migration, which would help the country secure a larger share of the Italian labour market," he urged.

He expressed concern that many young Bangladeshis spend around €15,000 attempting to reach Italy through brokers and smugglers, taking enormous risks crossing the Mediterranean Sea. "They should engage in small businesses and avoid such perilous journeys, which often end in tragedy," he said.

To upgrade the status of Bangladesh's passport, he said, "Bangladesh should repatriate illegal migrants, discourage unregistered travel, and promote compliance with visa terms."

"Irregular migration to EU countries remains a major concern, and Bangladesh should engage in constructive dialogue with European nations to promote safe, organised, and legal migration," the envoy said

European countries, particularly Italy has expressed deep concern over irregular and illegal migration and is interested in working with Bangladesh in regularizing the migration.

Bangladesh now ranks top among countries whose citizens are trying to reach Italy by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, according to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex.

In just the first six months of this year, at least 9,735 Bangladeshis entered Italy through this route

Meanwhile, Bangladesh sent a total of 83,798 workers to Italy during 2004-2024, according to data of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

Expat Bangladeshis living in Italy sent 1652.58 million US dollars’ home during 2024-25 fiscal year, according to data of Bangladesh Bank. Sources said that this remittance flow can reach 3.00-billion-dollar mark in the couple of years, provided Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Bank holds motivational programmes in Italy. The motivational programmes in UAE help expat Bangladeshis to send remittance through banking system, said a director general of the foreign ministry who worked in UAE over three years.

According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, the annual number of migrant deaths and disappearances in all the Mediterranean jumped from 2,048 in 2021, to 2,411 in 2022, and to 3,041 by the end of 2023.

Bangladesh exported a total of 16,879 workers to Italy during 2023, the highest number in a single year and 10,950 workers in 2007, the second highest in a single year. However, the migration to Italy recorded at 1,164 in 2024 and 2035 until May, 2025.

Meanwhile, the interim and next elected political government should strictly punish the human traffickers and launch a massive social awareness against this social disease, said a Bangladesh working in a country of European Union

The right wing politics in the European Union countries are gaining momentum raising sentiment against incumbent immigrants and illegal migrants.

Expat Bangladeshis living in Italy sent remittance worth 738.79 million US dollars’ home in 2021, 1161.51 million US dollars in 2022, 1357.43 million US dollars in 2023 and 1478.94 million US dollars in 2024, according to the data of Bangladesh   Bank.

Meanwhile, the irregular migration to some European Union (EU) countries is a matter of concern and Bangladesh should engage in constructive dialogues with EU countries to encourage safe, organised and regular migration, sources in Dhaka and Brussels said.

Bangladesh missions in Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Greece, Romania and Brussels have no proper documentation of regular and irregular Bangladeshis living in EU countries, sources said.

The regular migration to the European Union countries, specially to Italy should be encouraged, and Dhaka will seriously work on safe, organised and regular migration to Italy…..

Meanwhile, Italy will transform a detention centre it built in Albania for sea migrants into a repatriation hub for failed asylum seekers, in a bid to overcome judicial hurdles that have prevented use of the facility, the Italian government said.

The Albanian site is a key plank of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's policy of curbing immigration, but Italian judges have repeatedly annulled the transfer of sea migrants there, on the basis of a ruling by the European Union's Court of Justice.

Meloni's cabinet adopted a decree making it possible to deport to Albania migrants who are in Italy with a pending expulsion order, in an attempt to find a new use for the centre, which has been idle for months.

"That will allow us to immediately reactivate (it)," said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, referring to the detention camp in the village of Gjader, built alongside another facility for identification purposes in the port of Shengjin.

Initial estimates said Italy's protocol with Albania would cost more than 600 million euros ($646 million). ($1 = 0.9283 euros)

"The government of Italy will continue with determination to allow legal migration channels, benefiting important sectors of our economy," Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told daily La Stampa recently.

Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro while talking to this correspondent said that Italy, a member of European Union, promotes and supports the regular and legal migration  as Italy requires manpower to work in different sectors. He has expressed the views that Bangladesh should put emphasis on the regular and legal migration that will help the country to tap a better slice of Italian labour market.

The United Kingdom’s government is considering an amendment to immigration rules modelled on Denmark’s controversial policy amid pressure from the far-right groups, who have attacked the Labour government over the rising number of refugees and migrants crossing into the country.