Europe’s Migration Return Program: Broken Promises and Abandoned Africans

For over 100,000 African migrants who hoped to find safety and opportunity in Europe, the journey has ended abruptly—not with the promised support but with neglect. Oumar Bella Diallo, a young man from Guinea, endured months of perilous travel before reluctantly boarding a return flight financed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a Europe-funded entity. Yet back home, the assistance he expected never materialized.

This disturbing pattern is not unique to Diallo. Tens of thousands across West Africa report that after being sent back under this program—which boasts a $380 million EU budget between 2022 and 2025—they are left to battle trauma, mounting debts, and social stigma alone. The EU’s flagship migrant return initiative appears less about sustainable reintegration and more about ticking bureaucratic boxes.

Is Europe Sacrificing Human Lives for Political Optics?

The IOM’s mandate promises individualized reintegration support ranging from housing to vocational training. But returnees say they receive cursory orientation classes disconnected from their realities—often lacking basic medical care or economic opportunities. When Diallo asked for help treating an injured foot sustained during his hazardous trek through Mali and Algeria, he was turned away.

Meanwhile, European policymakers hail declining “irregular” border crossings as proof of success. But what happens when those desperate souls are simply pushed back into poverty-stricken societies ill-equipped to absorb them? Guinea alone reports over half its population living in extreme poverty amid chronic unemployment—even among degree holders forced into informal jobs.

This failure raises crucial questions: How can Europe expect to stem migration while ignoring root causes like governance failures and economic stagnation in Africa? Worse still, does this costly program serve European interests at America’s expense by destabilizing regions critical to global security?

A Call for True Accountability and Effective Solutions

Independent audits have already flagged the program’s lack of transparency and measurable outcomes. The European Court of Auditors concluded monitoring was insufficient to prove value for money—a sharp indictment of Brussels’ approach. Local journalists surrounding returnees reveal widespread frustration as many endure long delays or outright dismissal from IOM services.

Our nation must watch closely as Washington debates immigration policy. While safeguarding our borders remains paramount under America First principles, turning a blind eye to how Europe’s destabilizing tactics unfold abroad is short-sighted. This cycle only fuels further chaos that eventually reaches our own shores through irregular migration flows.

The stories of men like Diallo and Kabinet Kante are warnings we cannot afford to ignore: humane treatment requires commitment beyond mere flights home—it demands respect for national sovereignty through genuine economic development partnerships and transparent aid oversight.

If Europe continues down this path of neglect masked as control, instability will fester unchecked just beyond our borders, threatening security interests right here at home.