“Externalizing Asylum” is a leading platform for critical analysis of the rapidly expanding use of externalised asylum policies worldwide. Hosted by the Externalization Working Group of the Refugee Law Initiative and led by a multidisciplinary international editorial board, it brings together scholars from around the globe to examine the legal, (geo)political, and societal dimensions of these practices. The platform serves as a curated, global resource for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and journalists seeking to understand and respond to evolving asylum governance.
To mark the relaunch of the website, we present a dedicated forum on the “safe third country” concept, one of the most contested tools in contemporary asylum policy. Externalisation is expanding fast: the United States is negotiating deportation agreements with several African countries; the EU is rapidly developing ‘return hubs’ legislation; Australia has opened a new chapter in its externalisation strategy with offshore ‘reception centres’ in Nauru.
The compendium is continuously expanded with new contributions, making it a living resource for emerging practices, policies, and debates. For more information on the submission process, click here.
Blog Forum: Safe Third Country
Forum Editorial: Under Scrutiny - Safe Country Regimes in Global Asylum Governance
Mariana Gkliati
Gamze Ovacık
Emilie McDonnell
The concept of a ‘safe country’, whether as a safe third country, safe country of origin, or first country of asylum, has gained prominence in migration management, particularly within the context of externalised asylum processing and returns.
1 April 2026
Is Trump’s America Safe for Asylum-Seekers? Re-Examining the Safe Third Country Agreement Between Canada and the USA in 2025
Kate Motluk
In 2023, with little warning, the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States of America was amended.
1 April 2026
The New Frontier of Externalisation: Safe Third Countries and Return Hubs – Key Changes and Implications
Mariana Gkliati
Externalisation has become a defining feature of European migration governance, characterised by coercive measures and serious human rights risks. Despite growing criticism, the EU continues to expand its externalisation agenda.
1 April 2026
The United States’ Attempt to Deport Third Country Nationals to Africa: Is This a Mutually Beneficial Situation?
Cristiano d’Orsi
This post focuses on the attempt made by the Trump Administration to deport unwanted foreigners, generally convicted of crimes in the US, to various African countries because they cannot be sent back to their countries of origin, being at risk of persecution by their domestic authorities.
1 April 2026
A New Safe Third Country Mechanism: Australia’s Deportation Arrangement with Nauru
Emilie McDonnell
Australia has entered a troubling new chapter in its externalisation strategy and use of the so-called ‘safe third country’ concept.
1 April 2026
Colombia: Safe Third Country for Whom? The U.S. Amid Venezuelan Forced Migration
Juliana Poveda-Clavijo
Amid the rising number of Venezuelans crossing the Darién Gap, the United States sharpened its efforts to contain forced migration in countries like Colombia.
1 April 2026
The EU’s ‘Safe Third Country’ Concept: Is Changing the Law a Silver Bullet for Extraterritorial Processing?
Annick Pijnenburg
Kris van der Pas
This blog post analyses the evolving ‘safe third country’ concept in EU asylum law and its implications for the extraterritorial processing of asylum seekers.
1 April 2026
Beyond the Eurocentric Gaze: Adjudicating Externalisation Through the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
Ramy Abdelhady
Over the past few decades, the world has witnessed the rise of externalisation policies. This trend has deepened the existing global “non-entrée” system, which is designed to contain people of the South within the South.
1 April 2026
The Role of Morocco as a “Safe” Country in Containing and Preventing Irregular Migration: A Façade of Solidarity
Soumia Bouhdoud
The phenomenon of irregular migration remains a significant challenge for Europe and North African countries, including Morocco, which consistently hosts large numbers of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
1 April 2026
The Legal Labyrinth of Safe Third Country Designations: Blanket Assumptions of Safety in EU Asylum and Externalisation Policy
Vicky Kapogianni
Designating ‘safe’ countries may appear to offer a practical solution to Europe’s migration challenges, but it raises profound legal and ethical concerns.
1 April 2026
Safe third country concept: A tool for containment and illegalization of mobility
Gamze Ovacık
In 2015, the world saw the devastating image of the lifeless body of Alan Kurdi, a 2-year-old fleeing the Syrian civil war with his family, washed up on the shores of Turkey, after their inflatable boat capsized trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach a Greek island.
1 April 2026