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EU migration reform faces tight vote as party divisions deepen

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EU migration reform faces tight vote as party divisions deepen

The European Union’s make-or-break attempt to reform its migration and asylum policy faces a tight vote in the Parlament, as party divisions deepen.

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The vote is scheduled to take place on Wednesday afternoon in a plenary session that will see MEPs go through a list of complex, interlinked pieces of legislation.

All eyes will be on the five laws that make up the so-called New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the comprehensive overhaul that seeks to turn the page on almost 10 years of go-it-alone reactions and instead establish common and predictable rules to manage the reception and relocation of asylum seekers.

First presented in September 2020, the New Pact has gone through many ups and downs, including periods of impasse that made it seem the legislation would never reach the finish line. Things changed last year as the issue returned to the top of the agenda, leading to a provisional agreement in December between the Parliament and the Council, despite their notable differences.

This breakthrough compromise still needs the final green light from each institution before its enactment into law. Time, however, is running short: the upcoming elections to the Parliament mean April is the last chance for MEPs to endorse the New Pact.

Given the high stakes at play, Wednesday’s vote was initially expected to go smoothly, with legislators from across the political spectrum coming together to support the reform, which is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – political files of this mandate.

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But in a briefing with journalists on Tuesday, the rapporteurs in charge of the five laws toned down their optimism and acknowledged the gaps between and within parties.

“No one can know what will be the outcome of the vote,” said Tomas Tobé, from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP). 

“My work is constantly now, hour by hour, convincing colleagues that the absolute best way to help support a European migration policy is to be loyal to the whole migration pact,” he went on. “I understand that it is very easy to find your own populist view, perhaps, on parts of the pact that you might not like.”

Speaking by his side, Birgit Sippel, from the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), said the arguments in favour and against the reform were “totally different” and might be influenced by electioneering rather than policy considerations.

“Some think, like we heard, it’s not good enough, and others think it’s not bad enough in how we deal with migrants,” Sippel told journalists. “Maybe some are thinking about elections and what message they are sending to their national electorate.”

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The opposition to the New Pact comes from some familiar corners, such as the lawmakers from Hungary’s Fidesz, who are non-attached, and the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group, which encompasses Italy’s Lega, France’s National Rally and Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

But resistance is also emerging from the inside of mainstream forces. The 16 Italian members of the S&D are determined to vote down the New Pact, according to Brando Benifei, who leads the delegation.

“There are those who legitimately think that this compromise is better than no compromise, but for us, as Italians in the PD (Partito Democratico), it is really too little,” Benifei told Euronews.

Benifei attacked the provisional deal struck with the Council, saying it would transform Italy into an “open-air” reception centre and push migrants to “third countries.”

“For us, human rights and European solidarity are fundamental. We do not endorse an agreement that leaves Italy too alone and is not sufficiently solid on the rights of the most fragile people,” he added.

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Another Italian delegation, the populist Five Star Movement (M5S), which is non-attached, is equally opposed to the New Pact, calling it “useless for Italy” and “damaging for the rights of migrants who are sacrificed on the alter of demagogy.”

Both PD and M5S are in opposition to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose party, Fratelli d’Italia (FdI), was originally thought to be firmly in favour of the reform, which features a system of “mandatory solidarity” to help out frontline nations. However, a spokesperson said Fratelli d’Italia “has not decided yet and will consider each file in itself.”

In the Parliament, FdI sits with the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), currently dominated by the Polish delegation of Law and Justice (PiS), which is staunchly against the reform.

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Further resistance comes from the opposite side of the room: the Left (37 MEPs) and the Greens (72 MEPs). Both argue the stringent provisions pushed by member states will degrade the quality of the asylum process and fuel violations of fundamental rights.

“The Pact will entrench existing problems by disproportionately focusing on deterrence, including through the widespread detention of people and children, while reducing their rights. It will shift ever more responsibility to third countries and greater financial resources to autocratic governments and warlords,” Philippe Lamberts, co-chair of the Greens, said in a statement to Euronews.

“It’s clear that the current political class is desperate to claim that they have solved the issue of migration, regardless of the realities on the ground.”

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Meanwhile, the EPP, the largest formation in the hemicycle, will hold a meeting on Wednesday morning to fortify its position and discuss the latest developments.

All in all, the New Pact needs a simple majority in the 705-member hemicycle to go through, a threshold that depends on how many MEPs show up to vote.

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Although the five laws will be voted on separately, they are treated as one indivisible package, meaning the collapse of one could easily trigger a domino effect. 

It’s extremely unlikely the Council will move forward with an incomplete set of rules: throughout the arduous negotiations, co-legislators committed to maintaining the “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” motto until the very end.

“If one of the pillars of this system falls, then the whole system would be not on its two feet, on its right balance. It should be a balanced approach. And that (requires) adopting all of the regulations,” Juan Fernando López Aguilar, another rapporteur, said on Tuesday.

“Should any one of the regulations fail, that would be very detrimental.”

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Nevertheless, the Parliament still has one more plenary session scheduled in late April, where the New Pact could be put to a new vote.

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US Threatens Mexican Airline Flights Over Airline Competition Issues

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US Threatens Mexican Airline Flights Over Airline Competition Issues
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration said Saturday it is taking a series of actions against Mexico over the Mexican government’s decision in 2023 to rescind some flight slots for U.S. carriers and forced U.S. cargo carriers to relocate operations in Mexico City. U.S. Transportation …
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Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals

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Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals

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Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, slammed the Conservative and Labour parties after it was revealed this week thousands of Afghan refugees were secretly resettled into the country without the public’s knowledge.

Farage claimed some of those Afghans are sex offenders, sparking a row with the ruling Labour Party, which denied the claims. 

Around 4,500 Afghans have been relocated to the U.K. so far with around 6,900 expected to be relocated overall.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks during a press conference in Westminster, United Kingdom, June 10, 2025.  (Thomas Krych/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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EUROPEAN NATIONS DEMAND POWER TO DEPORT IMMIGRANTS WHO COMMIT CRIMES

Meanwhile, waves of migrants continue arriving by boat, further inflaming public frustration over unchecked immigration.

“Amongst the number that have come are convicted sex offenders – I am not, I promise you, making any of this up, and the total cost of this operation has been a staggering £7 billion [$9 billion],” Farage said in a post on X.

“The numbers are off the charts, the cost is beyond comprehension and the threat to women walking the streets of this country, frankly, is incalculable.”

Relocating the 6,900 Afghans is expected to cost £850 million [$1.1 billion]. The £7 billion Farage referenced is likely the total cost of all Afghan resettlement programs since 2021 of about 36,000 Afghans through multiple schemes.

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The British government earlier this week revealed it secretly resettled thousands of Afghan nationals in the U.K. after a catastrophic data breach exposed nearly 19,000 applicants who had worked with U.K. forces, an operation kept under wraps by a rare “super injunction” that barred even the mention of its existence. 

The injunction was lifted Tuesday in conjunction with a decision by Britain’s current Labour Party government to make the program public.

British troops in Afghanistan

The national flag of the United Kingdom is displayed as British troops and service personnel remaining in Afghanistan are joined by International Security Assistance Force personnel and civilians for a Remembrance Sunday service at Kandahar Airfield Nov. 9, 2014, in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

‘AFGHANS FOR TRUMP’ GROUP FEELS ABANDONED AFTER ADMINISTRATION REVOKES REFUGEE PROTECTIONS

A spreadsheet containing the personal information of the nearly 19,000 people who had applied to relocate to the U.K. after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was accidentally released in 2022 because of a defense official’s email error. The government only became aware of the leak when some of the data was published on Facebook 18 months later.

“I can’t think of a better example of the total incompetence, dishonesty and genuine lack of understanding of what the priorities of a British government are than this Afghan scandal,” Farage added. 

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But U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey denied any known sex offenders had been allowed into the U.K. under the program and insisted everyone had been checked “carefully” for any criminal records

He said if Farage had any “hard evidence,” he should report it to the police.

demonstrators hold placards

Demonstrators hold placards as Afghans living in London and their supporters attend a protest called by Stand Up To Racism at the Home Office to demand that more refugees from Afghanistan be allowed into the U.K. Aug. 23, 2021, in London. (Guy Smallman; Getty)

“Anyone who has come into this country under any of the government schemes that was under the previous government and now from Afghanistan is checked carefully for security, checked carefully for any of those sort of criminal records that would preclude and prevent them coming to this country,” Healey told Times Radio, according to The Sun. 

British soldiers were sent to Afghanistan as part of an international deployment against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the peak of the operation, there were almost 10,000 U.K. troops in the country, mostly in Helmand province in the south.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Anti-immigration demonstrations in more than 80 cities across Poland

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Anti-immigration demonstrations in more than 80 cities across Poland

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Anti-immigration protests organised by the far-right Confederation Libery and Independence party took place in more than 80 cities across Poland, including in Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, and Bialystok.

Demonstrators demanded the closure of the borders with Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Slovakia.

“Enough of the years-long policy of ‘let everyone in, and who they are will be determined later’,” Krzysztof Bosak, one of Confederation party’s leaders, wrote on X.

“Polish women and men have the right to be concerned about the level of security in their own homeland,” he added.

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In a speech at the start of the march, Bosak demanded the resignation of Donald Tusk’s government, the closure of the borders with Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Slovakia to curb illegal immigration, and the permission for soldiers to shoot at people who cross the border illegally.

“Without closing Poland to illegal immigration, without launching a deportation operation, without renouncing political correctness, without equipping the Border Guard and the forces responsible for controlling the legality of residence, and without controlling the labour market, security will gradually deteriorate,” he said, calling for a change in policy.

The protests come shortly after Poland introduced border controls with Germany and Lithuania, which came into effect on 7 July.

On the Polish-German border, controls are in place at 52 places and on the Polish-Lithuanian border at 13.

The issue of migration has been widely up for debate, and a contentious topic in Polish politics, particularly as the country has experienced a rise in immigration in recent years.

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In the first round of the presidential elections held in May, candidates of the far-right performed well, with Slawomir Mentzen of the Confederation Libery and Independence party and Grzegorz Braun of Confederation of the Polish Crown party coming in third and fourth, respectively.

Many believe that both candidates’ successes were due to their hardline stance on migration.

Interior ministers agree on asylum rules

On Friday, Poland and five other EU countries, agreed a set of targets for tightening asylum rules. During the meeting hosted by Germany’s interior minister, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz admitted that he was “pleased that Poland is carrying out border controls.”

Last year, Poland saw an increase in asylum applications due to the recurring crisis on its eastern border with Belarus, which has been ongoing since 2021.

As a result, the Polish parliament passed a law temporarily suspending the right to apply for asylum for those who crossed the Belarusian border.

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Both Polish and European leaders have long accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating the influx of migrants to destabilise the EU.

On Saturday morning, the Ministry of Interior and Administration published statistics on the number of approvals issued for special protection for foreigners on X.

“In 2024, we issued 40 per cent fewer approvals for special protection for foreigners than in 2021. This is the result of a better managed system, our operations at the border and more efficient procedures,” the post read.

“The government is pursuing a responsible and well-considered migration policy, taking care of the stability and security of citizens,” it added.

Counter demonstrations in many cities

Counter-manifestations against the Confederation marches were also held in Warsaw, Katowice, Olsztyn and other cities on Saturday.

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Demonstrators carried banners with the slogans: “Accept the refugees, delete the fascists,” “Action Democracy” and “We defend the right to asylum.”

“Everyone, regardless of their skin colour and origin, should feel comfortable not only in Poland, but also in Europe,” Maria Książak of the International Humanitarian Initiative Foundation said during the demonstration.

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