EU Gives Green Light to Deport Illegal Immigrants From Designated Safe States

The new rules come amid growing public discontent across Europe over soaring rates of both legal and illegal immigration.

Illegal immigrants wait to receive registration papers from the Red Cross on the island of Lampedusa, Italy, on Sept. 17, 2023. Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP via Getty Images

The European Union has published the first list of safe countries as part of the introduction of new immigration laws that will allow nations to deport illegal immigrants from the 27-nation bloc.

India, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Kosovo are on the list, although Kosovo is not recognized as a state by Serbia—from which it seceded in 2008—or by a number of nations, including five EU members.