European Parties Advance Plans for Mass Deportation Train Across the Continent

On May 30, 2026, Porto, Portugal, hosted the second edition of the "Migration Repatriation Summit," following its inaugural event in Milan in 2025. Attendees paid between 45 euros for a standard ticket and up to 325 euros for premium access to hear leading European theorists on "migration repatriation," a concept that has moved from ideological margins into formal electoral platforms.

The summit’s organizers describe "migration repatriation" on their website as "a democratic, legal, and long-term process spanning 20 to 30 years, aimed at returning illegal migrants and harmful legal migrants, and exerting pressure on parallel, non-integrated communities to restore cultural harmony within the nation."

According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, this idea stems from the same ideological framework that produced the "Great Replacement" theory. It gained significant momentum in 2025 when activists close to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and billionaire Elon Musk promoted it on social media.

Le Figaro notes that French politician Éric Zemmour was among the earliest adopters of the idea, having promised to establish a "Ministry of Repatriation" if elected to the Élysée Palace in 2022. In May 2026, on the CNews channel, Zemmour defended the concept of "negative migration," stating: "Not only do we no longer receive migrants, but we also return delinquents, criminals, and those unemployed."

Conversely, far-right leader Marine Le Pen rejected the idea outright in 2022, describing it as "completely anti-republican and deeply unjust."

France and Britain Coordinate to Curb Channel Migration

During the 2025 election campaign that brought the "Alternative for Germany" party to 152 seats in the Bundestag, Alice Weidel promoted the slogan "migration repatriation" at party rallies, pledging "mass deportations." Le Figaro reports that Weidel, a regional deputy for Brandenburg, attended the Porto summit.

In July 2025, amid a surge of violence against migrants, Spain’s Vox party, holding 33 seats in parliament, officially proposed a "migration repatriation" plan. Deputy Rocío de Meer told Le Figaro that the goal was "to send 5 to 6 million migrants back to their countries who refuse to integrate into Spanish society."

At the Milan summit in April, Matteo Salvini, leader of the Northern League, advocated a linguistically softened version: "The residence permit will function like a points-based driving license. After a number of infractions, you return to your country of origin." However, the party’s popular support has declined since 2022, not exceeding 8.8%.

Notably, the Porto summit took place in Portugal, where the Chega party, led by André Ventura, heads the opposition after securing nearly a quarter of the vote in the 2025 legislative and 2026 presidential elections. In November, Chega proposed in the budget a "national migration repatriation program" and the creation of a security force inspired by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Regional Impact and Diverse European Approaches

Le Figaro also highlights positions from other parties: in Belgium, Tom Van Grieken of Vlaams Belang considers "migration repatriation" a "completely neutral" term referring to deporting illegal immigrants, criminal foreigners, and "Muslim extremists inciting violence." In the Netherlands, far-right European theorist Thierry Baudet speaks of a "reptilian conspiracy" in his speeches.

In Austria, Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party, has called for deporting Austrian citizens of foreign origin who "despise our society." In Denmark, Morten Messerschmidt of the Danish People’s Party has conditioned participation in any future government coalition on ensuring that "the number of Muslim migrants leaving Denmark exceeds the number arriving."

Le Figaro’s reporting indicates that this agenda is no longer confined to extremist ideological circles but has entered legislative proposals in at least eight European national parliaments. The critical difference between the 2025 Milan conference and the 2026 Porto summit is that elected politicians now express these views with less restraint.

The newspaper poses a question it leaves unanswered: as "mass deportation" becomes a routine electoral discourse, what barriers remain between the idea and its implementation?