The Effectiveness of Administrative Detention of Migrants in Relation to Return Rates: A Compared Analysis along States of EU South Frontier: Italy, France, Greece and Spain as Cases Study

Administrative detention has gradually become a fundamental instrument in migration policies of European States. The law generally assigns to this measure a key role in supporting removal procedure. On the other hand, administrative detention has been recognised as a symptom of the crimmigration crisis. This article aims to challenge the expected benefits of administrative detention as an effective measure to guarantee the enforcement of removal procedures, analysing available data of imprisonments and removals relative to Italy, France, Spain and Greece in the period of time 2014–2019.