Twenty European countries have come together to pressure the European Commission to find ways to send back Afghan nationals who are living illegally in Europe, either voluntarily or by force, according to Belgian Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt on Saturday.
Many EU countries say that the fact that they cannot currently deport Afghans, even those convicted of crimes, due to no formal return agreement with Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021 poses a threat to EU countries security and "undermines public trust in asylum policy," the 20 said in a letter addressed to European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner.
