Countries that send asylum seekers to third countries to process and hold them abroad could spend billions, only to face accusations of human rights abuses and financial mismanagement, as in Australia.
The European Union has nevertheless considered the idea, and the United States has already reached similar agreements with third countries, but Australia has been welcoming or relocating people out of the country where they seek protection for more than two decades.
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard introduced the so-called Pacific Solution in 2001, targeting immigrants who arrived by boat and establishing Australian migration processing centers with help from the governments of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the small island nation of Nauru.
Thousands of people sent to the islands as part of Australia’s “Pacific solution”
Both center-left and center-right governments described the policy as a deterrent, saying people were less likely to attempt dangerous ocean crossings or pay smugglers if arriving by boat did not allow them to reach Australia. In his 2001 election policy speech, Howard uttered the famous, frequently cited phrase ever since: “We will decide who comes to this country and under what circumstances.”
In 2008, a newly elected Labor government gradually abandoned the practice, saying it was a cynical, costly and ultimately unsuccessful exercise.
But faced with more deaths at sea, the Labor government led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard resumed sending sea arrivals to Nauru and Manus in 2012, after an expert panel recommended the centers be reopened.
“I’m not going to play politics or look at political scorecards when too many lives have been lost,” Gillard said at the time.
Between 2013 and 2014, the number of people transferred abroad peaked at more than 3,000.
Journalists were mostly excluded from centers on Nauru and Manus Island. Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) advocacy coordinator Graham Thom told DW that this lack of access and independent oversight meant many Australians accepted the idea that the policy was working.
EU considers offshore deals
People without the legal right to stay in the EU could be deported to third countries as early as 2027, with Rwanda and Uzbekistan apparently considered third countries, as well as Uganda.
The European Parliament approved new rules in June that would pave the way for so-called “return hubs” outside EU borders.
Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov told reporters last month that the centers would not be detention and deportation centers.
“We are not talking about camps,” Bodskov said, instead describing the project as “a new chance to have a life in a partner country.”
Denmark, alongside Germany, Austria, Greece and the Netherlands, known collectively as the Group of Five, said in September they had agreed on steps towards a deal with a third country, without naming it.
The group was expected to talk with the United Nations, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Refugee Agency about their next steps.
The proposal foresees tough penalties for those who refuse to be deported to the centers, including detention of up to 30 months while awaiting expulsion from the EU and an entry ban.
The United States already has a third-country migration program
The US government has already reached agreements with at least 30 third countries in Africa and Latin America. In June, Amnesty International said some deals had been revealed through the US Freedom of Information Act, while others “remained secret”.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that the second Trump administration could resume deportations under the third-country program, after a U.S. appeals court ruled that immigrants must be informed of their intended destination and given the opportunity to challenge their deportation if they fear persecution or torture.
The first deportations from the United States under the Third Country Deportation Program were of immigrants convicted of crimes, but more recently foreign nationals not charged with any crime have also been deported.
Accusations of human rights violations
Asylum seekers and human rights advocates have repeatedly called out human rights abuses in Australia’s offshore migration processing program, with Thom calling the policy a “medieval idea”.
A group of asylum seekers formerly detained on Manus Island won a A$70 million (€43.47 million/US$48.47 million) settlement in 2017 after filing claims of abuse and unlawful detention.
In February, an Australian Senate inquiry heard first-hand accounts of neglect, untreated health problems and serious concerns about the safety and dignity of camp residents, particularly women detained on Nauru. Prior to the hearing, 73 UN member states had publicly raised concerns about Australia’s migration policy.
Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey have called for an end to offshore processing of asylum applications.
Australia has yet to formally comment on the recommendations, but successive governments have said offshore processing helps deter dangerous boat travel, with former Prime Minister Tony Abbott calling the policy during his tenure “decent, humane and compassionate”.
The effect of offshore processing is difficult to isolate from other policy measures, particularly the practice of turning away asylum boats. This “rollback” policy was introduced and reintroduced under Conservative governments in 2001 and 2013 respectively, but with inconsistent incident data.
As in the United States, offshore migration processing to Australia has expanded beyond its initial scope, with Nauru recently agreeing to accept convicted foreign nationals from Australia who cannot legally be returned to their home countries, for A$2.5 billion over the next 30 years. Australia has already spent more than A$13 billion on offshore detention since 2012.
It is difficult to measure the success of the Australian model, but its high long-term costs and legal and human rights concerns may serve as a warning to other countries considering similar policies.
Edited by: Andreas Illmer
Gn world
