The EU greenlit plans aimed at deporting unauthorized migrants, and allowing deportation hubs outside the bloc’s borders.
It is part of a wider turn against migration in Europe, which has had historically high inward flows — in 2022, net migration hit a record 4.2 million, driven by the Ukraine war, after a Syria-led spike in 2015-16.
Numbers have dropped since, but remain high. Migration is particularly unpopular in Europe compared to the US, partly because various legal and regulatory hurdles mean many are unable to work, leaving them reliant on government assistance.
In Spain, migrants are more regularly employed, and the country has seen an economic boost with somewhat less of a popular backlash.
