Some right-wing parties and politicians in Europe have sparked backlash by calling for the creation of a police force in their countries similar to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
ICE enforces federal border control, customs, trade and immigration laws, but has been embroiled in controversy after its agents killed two American citizens in recent weeks, during a Trump administration campaign to deport unauthorized immigrants.
However, this has not deterred the Bavarian branch of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the Belgian Vlaams Belang party from proposing a police unit similar to ICE, drawing widespread criticism from political opponents.
In January, the Bavarian branch of the AfD announced plans for a special unit within the Bavarian police that would focus on deporting undocumented migrants, as part of a series of measures to curb unauthorized immigration. Katrin Ebner-Steiner, leader of the AfD parliamentary group, stated: "In addition to state-run deportation flights, we are calling for the creation of an asylum, investigation and deportation unit within the Bavarian police." However, the Bavarian Police Union said there is no legal basis for such a unit.
The Belgian party Vlaams Belang plans to submit a similar proposal. MP Francesca Van Belleghem rejected the comparison with ICE, saying the Belgian unit would remain part of the existing police force, although the plans include specialized officers in major cities and border areas who would actively search for migrants without legal status.
In France, too, Éric Zemmour, founder of the “Reconquête” party, did not rule out the possibility of the country creating a force similar to ICE. “It would have to adapt to France and French institutions. But we would have to be ruthless,” he told BFMTV.
Political scientist Laura Jacobs from the University of Antwerp noted that far-right parties often avoid direct association with Trump, but "actually refer to a similar police force," placing this trend within a broader trend of normalizing strict measures against immigration, writes Politico.
Political opponents reacted strongly. Green MEP Damian Boeselager said that people who promote such ideas “fall outside the democratic spectrum and can never be normalized.” The co-president of the Left in the European Parliament, Manon Aubry, added: “Far-right policies form a continuum of violence that must be opposed from the start. If we accept the ICE model as part of the political debate, the battle is already lost.”
The EU has responded by toughening its migration policy. Last month, the European Commission presented a five-year strategy, emphasizing “affirmative migration diplomacy” to encourage third countries to help stop unauthorized immigrants and return citizens who do not have the right to stay.
