EU countries to announce deportation hub deal with Rwanda

EU countries are set to announce a deal on Monday to send rejected migrants to a deportation hub in Rwanda, three people familiar with the scheme confirmed. Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands have been meeting regularly to lay the groundwork for a deal with to set up centers outside EU territory to which they can deport migrants without a legal right to stay in the EU.

The deal is part of a broader push by the bloc to gain greater control over who enters the EU — and who gets to stay. The anticipated deal, which is set to be announced in Vienna, would only apply to asylum seekers who have already run through all of their options for securing legal residence in the EU and were rejected.

The countries previously confirmed that they aim to close the first deals to set up the off-shore centers in 2026, with plans to make them operational as of next year. The deportation hub in Rwanda would function as a pilot project and deals with other countries and involving other EU countries are likely to follow.