EU adopts return directive extending detention to 30 months

The European Union reached an agreement on a new return directive that lets member states set up deportation centres outside the bloc and extend the detention of migrants for up to two years, with possible extensions to 30 months, including for children. The legislation also authorises police to conduct home searches to enforce deportation orders.

Political parties and NGOs have condemned the measures, saying they mirror the hard‑line immigration policies of former U.S. President Donald Trump and raise serious human‑rights concerns.