The European Parliament has given final approval to new legislation allowing the establishment of migrant return centers outside the European Union and accelerating deportation procedures for individuals without legal residency rights.

A majority of lawmakers backed the measure with support from center-right and far-right political groups, in what observers describe as the most significant tightening of European migration policy in decades.

The law permits the transfer of migrants, including families, to external facilities where detention periods may not be clearly defined. Unaccompanied minors, however, are exempt from the measure.