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Chants of “send them back” echoed in the European Parliament after lawmakers approved sweeping changes to the EU’s migrant return system, the latest sign that Europe is moving toward tougher immigration enforcement after years of growing voter anger and frustration.
Members of the European Parliament voted by 418 to 218 on Wednesday, with 30 abstentions, to approve the Return Regulation, a measure designed to speed up the removal of third-country nationals living illegally in the EU.
The moment quickly turned explosive. After the vote was announced, right-wing MPs stood up, applauded and chanted “send them back”, according to a video of the meeting. MPs on the left responded by chanting “Shame on you”.
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Members of the European Parliament chanted “send them home” as they voted on new EU migration rules on 17 June. (European Parliament streaming service)
The law still needs formal approval by the Council of the EU and publication in the Official Journal before coming into force, but the confrontation underlined how sharply divided Europe is on migration, even as the bloc’s institutions are moving forward with policies once considered politically taboo.
The new rules will allow member states to detain some migrants for up to 24 months, with a possible six-month extension, and create a framework for “return hubs” outside the EU in third countries willing to receive migrants with return decisions.
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Migrants with covered faces pose as smugglers walk into the water near Gravelines, France, before boarding a small boat at sunrise on July 2, 2025. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Supporters say the rules are necessary as EU countries have struggled to enforce deportation orders. The European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), citing the European Commission, said that only about 20% of migrants who receive a return decision actually return.
The vote comes after Fox News Digital reported in early June that the EU was moving toward tighter border and asylum rules amid growing concern over illegal immigration across the continent. The new measures include stricter screening, identity and security checks, and the use of biometric data such as fingerprints and facial recognition.
Members of the European Parliament are seen during a June 17 session in which chants of “send them home” are heard as they vote on new EU migration rules. (European Parliament streaming service)
Conservative leaders declared the vote in Parliament a victory. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the result a “huge success”, calling the law a “historic measure”, according to her post on Twitter.
Other right-wing figures in France and Austria praised the moment as evidence that pressure from the right is reshaping EU policy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addresses the 78th UN General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2023. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)
However, critics accused lawmakers of dehumanizing migrants and weakening key protections.
The Guardian reported that Javi López, the Socialist vice-president of the European Parliament, called the plenary session “disgraceful”, while Ilaria Salis, a member of the Italian Green and Left coalition of the European Parliament, described the celebration as “horrible”.
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Migrants packed tightly onto a small inflatable boat as they attempt to cross the English Channel near the Strait of Dover off the coast of Dover, England, on September 7, 2020. More than 400 migrants traveled by sea from France to England last Wednesday, either stopped by UK border forces or brought ashore in small boats. (Luke Dray/Getty Images)
Human rights groups have also expressed concern.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned that the new rules risked expanding detention, Reuters reported, creating offshore return hubs and weakening safeguards against forced returns.
