German left-wing lawmakers on Tuesday criticized an EU deal that has cleared the way for the establishment of deportation centres outside the bloc, describing the plans as inhumane.
The deal was reached on Monday evening by representatives of the European Parliament and the governments of EU countries. Under the agreement, rejected asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their countries of origin could be transferred to "return hubs" outside the European Union.
Hakan Demir, home affairs spokesman for Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), criticized the move, noting that under the plans, "rejected asylum seekers can be held in detention pending deportation for 24 months."
"No one should be detained for that long simply because they have applied for asylum," said Demir, whose party is the junior coalition partner.
The measure would apply in cases where a migrant's home country refuses to accept their return or where an EU member state does not maintain diplomatic relations with the country concerned.
It remains unclear where such centres could be established.
The aim is to increase deportations and reduce the number of migrants in the European Union who are obliged to leave but remain in the bloc.
The European Parliament's plenary and EU member states must still approve the agreement, a step that is considered a formality.
Germany, together with Greece, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark, has been pushing for the measure.
Green party lawmaker Lamya Kaddor accused the EU of adopting an "out of sight, out of mind" approach.
Outsourcing responsibility is no substitute for responsible policymaking, she said.
