European Parliament is expected to vote on the Return Regulation on Wednesday, amid concern over detention, return hubs and weakened safeguards
Caritas Europa has warned that the EU’s new Return Regulation risks marking a serious rollback of migrant rights, saying the bloc is moving towards a “return at all costs” model that gives priority to deportation, detention and coercive enforcement over human dignity and durable solutions.
The European Parliament is due to vote on the reform on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, after a debate in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The file follows a provisional agreement between Parliament and Council negotiators on rules intended to speed up the return of non-EU nationals who have no legal right to remain in the Union.
EU institutions argue that the regulation is needed to make return procedures faster, more uniform and more credible across member states. Parliament’s own briefing says the reform would introduce stronger cooperation duties, allow detention for up to 24 months and potentially longer under certain conditions, reinforce mutual recognition of return decisions and permit the use of “return hubs” outside the EU. The European Parliament press service says the rules are designed to simplify procedures while respecting fundamental rights and international law.
For Caritas Europa, however, the balance has shifted too far towards enforcement. Maria Nyman, the organisation’s secretary general, said the new rules would “normalise coercive measures and detention”, including for children and families, while restricting legal safeguards and creating return hubs outside Europe.
“What is needed instead is an urgent paradigm shift that prioritises voluntary return, supported by independent counselling and reintegration assistance,” Nyman said, adding that residence permits should be available for people who cannot be returned because of humanitarian reasons or family ties.
Detention at the centre of the dispute
One of the sharpest areas of concern is detention. Under the agreed reform, people subject to a return decision may be detained where authorities consider there is a risk of absconding, non-cooperation or a security concern. Detention would have to be ordered by an administrative or judicial authority, and alternatives such as reporting requirements or residence at a designated place may also be used.
Caritas argues that the practical effect will be to make detention more routine, including for families and vulnerable people. The organisation says prolonged detention can cause severe mental and physical harm and should remain an exceptional measure, not a central tool of migration policy.
The concern is not limited to church and humanitarian organisations. The UN Human Rights office in Brussels has previously warned that return reform raises serious questions over detention, policing powers, third-country arrangements and procedural guarantees. In comments on the regulation, UN Human Rights stressed that effective return policies must remain aligned with non-refoulement, liberty, family life and the best interests of the child.
Return hubs and legal uncertainty
The regulation also opens the possibility of transferring people to return hubs in non-EU countries that agree to accept them. EU negotiators say unaccompanied minors would be excluded from such arrangements and that any third country involved must respect human rights standards and the principle of non-refoulement.
Critics fear that, in practice, such hubs could become offshore deportation centres with limited oversight. Caritas says people, including families with children, could be sent to countries with which they have no meaningful connection, facing arbitrary detention, legal uncertainty or exposure to abuse.
The debate forms part of a wider shift in European migration policy, in which deterrence, faster border procedures and external partnerships have become increasingly central. The European Times has previously examined how Europe’s migration agenda has moved from internal burden-sharing towards externalisation and tougher return policies, raising questions over how far the EU can delegate migration control without weakening its own legal commitments.
Safeguards under pressure
Caritas also objects to provisions it says could allow more invasive enforcement measures. The organisation warns that search powers connected to return procedures could affect not only migrants’ homes but also premises linked to social services and humanitarian support, potentially deterring undocumented people from seeking help.
Another concern is the weakening of legal safeguards. Rights groups fear that some people could be removed while appeals are still pending, increasing the risk of refoulement if courts have not yet examined claims that return would expose them to persecution, torture or inhuman treatment.
For EU governments under pressure to demonstrate control over migration, returns have become a measure of political credibility. For humanitarian organisations, the question is whether credibility can be built on policies that risk deepening fear and exclusion among people already living in precarious conditions.
Nyman said the regulation risks “further stigmatising and criminalising migrants” at a time when European societies need cohesion. Caritas, she added, is calling on EU leaders to bring “humanity and fundamental rights, not fear of the other, back to the centre of migration policy.”
The vote in Strasbourg will not end the argument. Even if Parliament backs the text, implementation will test whether the EU can reconcile faster returns with effective safeguards, independent monitoring and respect for the dignity of every person affected by the new system.
