Asylum seekers could be ‘sent to Balkan detention centres’ under new Labour plans

Labour is reportedly considering plans to send failed asylum seekers to detention centres in the Balkans.

The refugees could be deported to ‘return hubs’ in countries such as Serbia, Bosnia, Albania and North Macedonia, if their applications for asylum in the UK are rejected, it’s alleged.

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has drawn up the proposal in an effort to deter people from trying to cross the Channel on small boats, reports The Times.

The plans – which were criticised by the charity Refugee Council – would see the UK pay Balkan countries for each person deported, it said.

Around 5,000 migrants on small boats have been intercepted and brought to shore by border force since the beginning of 2025, which is 24% higher than this time last year.

The Balkans centres could potentially house rejected asylum seekers from countries deemed unsafe by the UK such as Afghanistan and Iran, it’s reported.

They could also temporarily hold rejected asylum seekers from countries seen as safe, such as Vietnam and India.

Albania currently has two empty migrant detention centres that could be used, it’s reported.

Italy had intended to use the buildings as asylum processing centres but the plans were ditched after the country’s courts repeatedly blocked them.

The Conservative government was heavily criticised for their plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettling.

The controversial scheme, however, included asylum seekers who had not yet had their case heard, while Labour’s only applies to migrants whose applications have been rejected.

Also, unlike Rwanda, the Balkan countries as seen as safe.

Labour scrapped the scheme, which cost an estimated £700 million and saw four migrants voluntarily relocated, when the party came into government.

A government source told The Times: ‘We’re looking at the widest possible set of options with a completely open mind.

‘Any scheme we’d consider would always need to meet the test of being affordable, workable and legal.’

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said that returning people who don’t have a right to be in the UK is an important part of a functioning asylum system, but added: ‘Headline-grabbing gimmicks and costly knee-jerk proposals that are about sounding tough will not work.’

He told the Metro: ‘There needs to be a serious approach that is based on credible solutions.

‘It may seem surprising but actually working with people to support them to return to their countries will be far more successful than shipping them to places such as Albania to be detained in prison-like conditions.

‘The reality is that a heavy-handed approach based on excessively punitive dawn raids and handcuffing people onto removal flights is not only inhumane but will only reach a fraction of those eligible for removal.  

‘If you assist people to return with dignity, many will take that option, at far lower cost to the taxpayer.’

Labour’s proposals come after the European Commission also pushed for ‘return hubs’ to be set up in third countries.

European rights groups have described the idea of the detention centres as unworkable and a violation of international law. 

‘We can likely expect more people being locked up in immigration detention centres across Europe, families separated and people sent to countries they don’t even know,’ said Silvia Carta of the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.

Critics also say more migrants are needed to cope with a growing labour shortage, something deporting larger numbers would exacerbate.

The Metro has contacted the Home Office for comment.

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