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BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union countries are working on an agreement to crack down on migrants who have been refused entry into the bloc so they can be swiftly sent home.
A key issue will be to ensure there are tougher measures to put those who have to leave in pre-departure detention to make sure they don't disappear to live illegally in EU nations.
According to a draft statement seen by The Associated Press, EU interior ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg will sign off on an agreement that states, "all measures must be taken to ensure irregular migrants' effective return," including the use of detention "as a legitimate measure of last resort."
More than 500,000 people have arrived in Europe this year seeking sanctuary or jobs, sparking the EU's biggest refugee emergency in decades.
But of people who fail to obtain asylum or residency, less than 40 percent actually go back.
While the EU has common rules for asylum and returning people not permitted to stay, they have not been enforced consistently.
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APPHOTO XMM109: Lifeguards from Barcelona, Spain, working as volunteers, help a disembarking dinghy as refugees arrive on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, early Wednesday, Oct. 7 , 2015. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen) (7 Oct 2015)
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APPHOTO XDMV126: A migrants girl waits to register with the police at a refugee center in the southern Serbian town of Presevo, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. Several Eastern European countries are cooperating on controlling the flow of migrants at the external borders of the European Union — a program a top Hungarian official said Tuesday could set an example for the rest of the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (7 Oct 2015)
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APPHOTO XDMV124: Migrants are permitted to register with the police at a refugee center in the southern Serbian town of Presevo, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. Several Eastern European countries are cooperating on controlling the flow of migrants at the external borders of the European Union — a program a top Hungarian official said Tuesday could set an example for the rest of the 28-nation bloc. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (7 Oct 2015)
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APPHOTO MTI210: Migrants arrive at the Macedonian-Greek border town Gevgelija in Macedonia, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP) (7 Oct 2015)
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APPHOTO MTI107: Migrants walk along a street after they arrived by train in Hegyeshalom, at the Austrian border, 169 km west of Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. The migrants arrived here from the Croatian border to continue their journey to Austria. (Csaba Krizsan/MTI via AP) (7 Oct 2015)
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APPHOTO MTI103: Migrants climb out of the windows of a train after they arrived at the railway station in Hegyeshalom, at the Austrian border, 169 kms west of Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. The migrants arrived here from the Croatian border to continue their journey to Austria. (Csaba Krizsan/MTI via AP) (7 Oct 2015)
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