'Brutal' Trump policies fascinate EU migration hawks

A name echoes through the corridors of Warsaw Citadel, the Polish capital's fortress where EU home affairs ministers are discussing how to crack down on irregular migration: that of Donald Trump.

The radical tactics of the bellicose US president, who last week threatened his Colombian counterpart with huge levies for turning back US military planes carrying undocumented migrants, forcing Bogota to back down -- have left heads spinning in Europe too.

"We are not as brutal, but it shows that sometimes a little bit of pressure works," mused one participant in the Warsaw talks, where Trump's muscular example was very much front and center.

The Colombian standoff was raised explicitly in ministers' talks, and fueled discussions about how the bloc could deal with nations reluctant to take back their nationals.

European response

Sweden's state secretary for migration, Anders Hall, argued that a softer approach than Trump's "more stick than carrot" strategy would better fit the European Union -- but there were lessons to be learnt.

"Europe has a very good potential to work with also the carrots, but sometimes the stick needs to be there," he said, mentioning visas and trade as possible levers the bloc could use in negotiations with other countries.

Currently less than 20 percent of people ordered to leave are returned to their country of origin, according to EU data -- something the bloc is under pressure to improve quickly, as hard right gains across the continent toughen the discourse around migration.

"Politicians cannot have a discussion now without talking about what Trump is doing," said another attendee at the Polish talks, where "innovative solutions" to tackle migration pushed by hawks such as Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands are on the table.

"It's easy for Trump, he sits there and does a tweet. That's very efficient," the official added, with perhaps a pinch of envy for the US president's ease at dictating new policies compared to the lengthy negotiations EU members have to go through before agreeing on something.

"We will never be as fast."

Looking forward

Yet, facing a labor shortage as it seeks to revamp its lagging economic competitiveness -- some suggested there was no one-size-fits-all model for Europe.

"Let's not focus on each and every statement coming out of the US," said the bloc's migration commissioner Magnus Brunner.

"Europe is Europe and I think we have to focus on what we have to do. We have to do our homework."

Among the more radical ideas under EU discussion is that of "return hubs" outside the European Union where failed asylum seekers could be sent pending transfer to their country of origin.

But the concept is fraught with legal and ethical concerns -- which home affairs ministers began ironing out in Warsaw.

The meeting kicked off as Trump unveiled a surprise plan to detain thousands of undocumented migrants in Guantanamo Bay -- although that proposal was not openly mentioned in Warsaw.

U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions as he speaks to reporters about Wednesday's deadly midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. Reuters

Detections of irregular migrants entering the European Union fell by 38 percent last year to the lowest level recorded since 2021, according to the EU's border agency, which credited a crackdown on traffickers.