Europe finally has a real migration system that works — after nearly 20 years of stagnation, the EU Parliament passed tough new return rules that put member states back in control. Less than 30% of people ordered to leave actually do, and these measures fix that by expanding detention powers and creating return hubs outside the bloc. Smugglers no longer get to decide who stays in Europe.
The EU's new return rules are a costly, rights-stripping disaster built on a broken model. Italy's Albania detention centers — widely seen as the blueprint — have held fewer than 100 people at a time while costing over €670 million, with each place running €153,000 versus €21,000 on Italian soil. Families with children face indefinite offshore detention in facilities with no external oversight.
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