From Whence They Came: the EU-Turkey Migrant Deportations

The Turkish parliament, in Ankara, approved an agreement overnight to enable Turkey to repatriate Pakistani migrants deported from Greece as part of a European Union(EU)-Turkey deal to stem the continent's migrant crisis.

The EU and Turkey agreed last month that migrants reaching Greece from Turkey would be returned  and in return the EU would settle a Syrian refugee within the union for every migrant returned to Turkey. The EU also promised Turkey that for its cooperation, the union would fast-track a policy to allow Turks visa-free travel in the EU along with a fast-track to discussions on Turkey's membership application into the EU.

With last night's parliamentary approval to return Pakistanis to Pakistan, Turkey could now receive deportees from Greece and then return the migrants from whence they came. Pakistani migrants make up the majority of people deported thus far from Greece to Turkey, including 45 male Pakistanis, Reuters reported, who were returned to Dikili, Turkey earlier today and who will now be sent home to Pakistan.

In spite of its stated aim to curb Europe's migrant crisis, the EU-Turkey deal will re-expose a number of migrants to the dangers and hardships from which they had escaped to Europe. Hence Europe's deportation policy has questionable humanitarian factors.