French President Emmanuel Macron said France will not fund or participate in third-country migrant return centers, rejecting a model supported by several European governments after the European Parliament advanced new return rules.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
French President Emmanuel Macron said France will not support European Union plans to send illegal migrants to return hubs outside the bloc, rejecting a policy that gained momentum after the European Parliament approved new rules intended to accelerate deportations.
The proposal would allow EU member states to transfer migrants who have no legal right to remain in Europe to third-country centers while authorities work to return them to their countries of origin. Supporters say the model could reduce pressure on European asylum and detention systems and prevent migrants with removal orders from remaining inside the EU.
Macron said France will not participate in such arrangements and will oppose the use of EU funds for migrant return hubs abroad.
Speaking Friday on the sidelines of a European Council meeting in Brussels, Macron said, “France does not support this policy.”
“I have never seen a return centre in a third country actually work. In recent years, I have heard many people talk about doing this or signing agreements. I urge you to consider what this entails. It means that people who don’t want to return to their country of origin, or whom you are unable to return to their country of origin, will be sent to a third country, and that country will accept them, perhaps in exchange for money,” Macron said.
“So what kind of country are you building, what kind of relationships are you creating, what kind of human rights are you upholding, and you are pushing all these people into a country that is not their own, even though you don’t want to keep them at home? I’m not sure that this is what our Europe is about,” Macron said. “I’m not sure that these are the fundamental principles on which our Europe was built.”
The French president also argued that the approach is unlikely to work in practice.
“Furthermore, I don’t believe it is effective. The proof is that I have yet to see anyone make it work. I even believe that the countries that had signed preliminary agreements with various members of the European Union or elsewhere have not implemented them. Therefore, we will not implement them, and while I have great respect for all those who wish to do so, I disagree, both pragmatically and in principle,” Macron said.
The return-hub concept has been debated across Europe for years. The former Conservative government in the United Kingdom pursued a plan to send illegal boat migrants to Rwanda, but the program faced legal challenges from open-borders activists and at the European Court of Human Rights. The plan was later scrapped by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government after it took power in 2024.
Italy pursued a similar approach under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose government reached an agreement with Albania to establish return centers for migrants who illegally crossed the Mediterranean from Africa. That plan was slowed by legal challenges in Italy and at the European Court of Justice.
The European Parliament’s passage of new return regulations this week could allow Italy’s Albania plan to resume and potentially expand. Nearly 20 EU countries have expressed interest in a broader return-hub framework or a jointly funded project.
Macron said France will not be part of that effort during the remainder of his term. He said return centers outside Europe should be handled only by individual governments that choose to pursue them, not through the EU budget.
The French president said he would “oppose the use of the European budget” for such facilities, arguing that EU funding for return hubs could undermine Europe’s image among African partners if the bloc appears more focused on moving migrants out of Europe than combating human trafficking in Africa.
“From my perspective, this should be a matter for each state’s policies; I respect them, but they are not the ones we will implement, and they are not the ones that the budget we will adopt will implement,” Macron said.
The debate comes as France continues to face political pressure over migration and deportation enforcement. Macron’s government has been criticized by opponents over its deportation rate and broader immigration record.
The issue is also expected to remain central in French politics ahead of the 2027 presidential election, when voters will choose Macron’s successor.
Marine Le Pen, a potential presidential candidate, criticized Macron’s position in a post on X.
“After having been the candidate of mass immigration, Emmanuel Macron has since 2017 been the president of organized submersion that has completely destabilized our country,” Le Pen said.
“For the waning Macronists, as for the left and the far left, mass immigration is a project. For the vast majority of the French, it is a problem and we will resolve it in 2027,” she said.
Macron’s refusal places France at odds with EU governments seeking tougher deportation tools after the Parliament’s vote. While the new rules open the door for return hubs outside the bloc, France’s opposition could complicate efforts to create a joint European funding mechanism.
For now, Macron said the French position is clear: Paris will not fund, join or implement third-country migrant return hubs, even as other European governments continue exploring the model.
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