EU's Tough Migration Pact: Tracking, Raids, and Deportations

0:00The European Union just rolled out its new pact on migration and asylum, kicking in on June 12th. It ramps up tracking, raids, and deportations of migrants straight to return hubs in places like Africa. They're borrowing pages from the Trump-era playbook, despite backlash across the 27 member states. Italy's leading the charge with detention centers in Albania holding rejected asylum seekers, including at least 90 folks right now. Meanwhile, countries like Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece are negotiating deals, chatting with Kenya and eyeing spots for. Afghans and Syrians. Sweden's on board too, for hubs outside Europe. Far-right groups are cheering these tough tactics, praising US moves while human rights advocates sound alarms over illegal pushbacks at borders. Reports show over 80,000 pushbacks last year, averaging 221 a day, mostly in Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, and Latvia, with claims of beatings and theft.

1:01Surveillance is exploding too, with drones, thermal cams, and satellites watching borders, plus more raids and profiling allowed under the rules. Pushback arrests are up, like Britain's nearly 60,000 deportations since their government took over in July 2024. Europe still clings to stronger legal safeguards than the US, but the shift toward harsher enforcement feels the same, raising fears of similar. Fall out for migrants everywhere. From your city, powered by AI, this is Toronto News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.