Europe Returns 33,000 Migrants to Home Countries

The European border agency Frontex assisted EU states in returning over 33,000 irregular migrants to their countries during the first half of 2026, up from 30,000 in the same period of 2025. Of these, 21,000 returned voluntarily compared to 19,000 previously. Turkey, Syria, and Georgia were top destination countries, while Germany, France, and Cyprus processed the most returns.

Frontex officers deployed in airports of 11 European countries help extract travel documents from migrants' home countries and handle administrative and logistical procedures for return flights.