Earlier this month, the European Commission urged EU countries to increase the deportation of failed asylum seekers. As return programs play an increasing role in EU migration policy, counseling becomes an important part of preparing for the move to return.
The EU wants to use visas and development aid to pressure countries refusing to take back unqualified asylum seekers. Ursula von der Leyen has also said she wants the EU to present a list of "safe countries of origin," and boost border controls on the Mediterranean and Western Balkans routes.
Copenhagen has halted talks with Rwanda over its controversial asylum plan as it calls for Europe-wide support in establishing a migrant reception center outside of the EU where it can transfer people applying for asylum.
The European Commission has presented a new strategy to increase the return of irregular migrants. EU member states were called on to work closer together as well as collaborate with EU authorities like Frontex.
The actress Maty Sarr has since 2018 been working in Senegal with the volunteer network Migrants as Messengers (MaM) and running a theater group of returnees through the Senegalese Association for the Fight Against Irregular Migration (ASMI).
Maïmouna, a 33-year-old Ivorian, always dreamed of starting her own business in the Ivory Coast. Lacking funds, she decided to migrate to Europe to work. She hoped the money she'd earn could enable her to return home to realize her dream and help her family. But the journey through Libya, marred by kidnapping and imprisonment, killed all her hopes.
For several weeks, the repatriation of migrants expelled from Algeria to Niger has been very slow, and the transit camps in the region are overwhelmed. As they face geopolitical upheavals, consular complications, and logistical difficulties, the patience of some migrants is put to the test. Mehdi Chebil reports for InfoMigrants.
When Fati decided to return to Ghana instead of trying to battle against the odds in Europe, she encountered a hostile reception back home. The choice she made is the focus of an award-winning documentary by Fatimah Dadzie, which was shown in Berlin this week.
Turkey has become a transit country for migrants from Pakistan and Afghanistan who want to reach Europe without papers. Broke and desperate, many of these migrants seek petty jobs in Turkey, only to be abused and exploited by employers who take advantage of their undocumented status. Hasan Farooq from Pakistan shares his story.
The Greek coast guard has rescued 122 migrants near Rhodes. Meanwhile, the organization Alarm Phone reported a growing group of migrants had become stranded at the Evros River crossing.
The German state of Bavaria is seeking to strengthen its reintegration support through the "Bavarian Return Program." So far, the program has supported over 3,400 people in their reintegration in their country of return.
Young women are at greatest risk of being forced to return to Syria under Denmark's controversial policy towards Syrian refugees. The Danish government continues its selective policy towards refugees, largely depending on their origin.