Frontex and deportations, 2006-2024
Topic
Country/Region
10 July 2025
Data covering almost two decades of Frontex’s deportation operations shows the expanding role of the agency. We have produced a series of visualisations to show the number of people deported in Frontex-coordinated operations, the member states involved, the destination states, and the costs.
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Image: Nicolas Vigier, public domain
Deportation Union
In August 2020 Statewatch published the report Deportation Union, a critical examination of EU plans to increase deportations. The report focuses on three key areas:
- attempts to reduce or eliminate rights and protections in the law governing deportations (something now being undertaken through the recently-proposed deportation Regulation);
- the expansion and interconnection of EU databases and information systems; and
- the increased budget, powers and personnel awarded to Frontex.
The infographics and data here build upon information released with that report, and are now updated to cover the period from 2006 to 2024.
Data collection, compilation and visualisations by Ida Flik.
About this update
This article has been updated to include data for 2024. Previous editions covered the periods 2006-2021 and 2006-2022.
Information used in this update was received from Frontex in response to an access to documents request.
Access to documents request submitted to Frontex
Dear Madam/Sir,
In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, Article 114(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 and Frontex Management Board Decision No 25/2016 of 21 September 2016, I would like to request access to the following documents:
For all return operations undertaken by the EBCGA for the period of (full year) 2024, the following datasets in their most disaggregated forms available:
- Per operation (RO-ID): The total amount paid per (each) member state
-
Per operation (RO-ID): The number of monitors and frontex staff per (each) unique destination
-
Per operation (RO-ID): The date and type of operation per (each) unique destination
-
Per operation (RO-ID): The number of people returned from each member state to each destination (unique destinations, no aggregates of multiple destinations like “Colombia & Dominican Republic”)
-
Per operation (RO-ID) and each member state: the number of Escort Leaders, Escorts, Escorts from FRESO airport CAT, FRESO airport CAT 2, FRESO HQ CAT 1, FRESO HQ CAT 2, FRESO CAT 3, national monitors, Monitors from pool (MS), Monitors from Frontex Pool, medical staff, Observers from member state, Observers (TC)
With regards to the access to documents rule 3 (“Documents shall be supplied in an existing version and format (including electronically[….]) with full regard to the applicant's preference”) I am requesting the data in a machine-readable table format, preferably .csv or .tsv.
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Further reading
Frontex and deportations, 2006-22
Data covering 17 years of Frontex’s deportation operations shows the expanding role of the agency. We have produced a series of visualisations to show the number of people deported in Frontex-coordinated operations, the member states involved, the destination states, and the costs.
Frontex takes the lead on deportations
EU border agency Frontex has recently sought to take on a more prominent role in deportations, and has been testing the possibility of organising the "initiative, destination, date," amongst other tasks - roles previously reserved for national authorities.
Frontex and deportations, 2006-21
Data covering 16 years of Frontex’s deportation operations shows the expanding role of the agency. We have produced a series of data visualisations to show the number of people deported in Frontex-coordinated operations, the member states involved, the destination states, and the costs.
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