BRUSSELS - As Europe reels from a historic rush of migrants, leaders are searching for new ways to reverse the flow by stepping up deportations.
The quest led to a deal with Afghanistan that envisions a whole new terminal at the Kabul airport to take deportees. It sent German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week on a whistle-stop tour of African capitals, where she promised an influx of euros in exchange for willingness to take back migrants. And it resulted in an agreement with Turkey that critics say means European nations are biting their tongues about Ankara’s human rights abuses to halt refugees from flowing to Greece.
The efforts come amid a global backlash to immigrant flows, which have increased due to war and poverty. In the United States, Donald Trump has built his fiery candidacy on an anti-Mexican, anti-Muslim message. In Britain, the government floated a plan to force businesses to declare how many noncitizens they employ following the vote to sever ties with the European Union. And across Europe, populist anti-migrant parties are surging in the polls.
With the increased cross-border traffic, countries are struggling to deal with those they have rejected for asylum. Until now, many people inside Europe illegally have been able to remain in a limbo that can stretch for years. But that old, lenient model — which has commonalities with that in the United States — is giving way to mounting anti-immigrant pressure. (The Washigton Post)