On Tuesday 7 April 2026, Luxembourg’s Refugee Collective (LFR) issued a statement in relation to draft law 8684, which transposes the European Pact on Migration and Asylum into Luxembourg law.

In its statement, the LFR said it “strongly condemns” draft law 8684 and noted: “Behind a discourse of management and European harmonisation, this text in fact establishes a worrying shift towards an increasingly security-driven migration policy, to the detriment of fundamental rights. Luxembourg is thus preparing to incorporate into its legislation mechanisms that seriously undermine access to international protection.”

The LFR stated that the draft law generalises an approach based on control, sorting and exclusion and highlighted accelerated procedures, reduced time limits for appeals and the extension of detention, contributing to distancing people in exile from their rights and confining them within expedited administrative systems.

The LFR stressed that it is particularly alarmed by the normalisation of detention, including for vulnerable individuals and minors, and said: “Detaining children can never be an acceptable response.”

According to the LFR, the draft law opens the door to increased and intrusive surveillance of people in exile: large-scale collection of sensitive data, potentially systematic searches and access to personal belongings and mobile phones. It said these measures undermine human dignity and the right to privacy, and created a climate of generalised suspicion, incompatible with a reception policy that respects fundamental rights. The LFRT added that by reducing time limits for appeals and weakening procedural safeguards, the draft law also jeopardises the right to an effective remedy and creates a real risk that individuals may be removed before their situation has been fully examined by a judge.

The LFR said it denounced the “largely insufficient protection of children”, particularly unaccompanied minors, and stressed that the draft failed to take into account their specific needs, does not guarantee appropriate support and maintains practices contrary to the best interests of the child. It said: “Children in exile are not administrative cases. They must be protected, supported and heard.”

Moreover, the LFR emphasised that Luxembourg is “at a crossroads” and that the draft law was not inevitable. It added that while the European framework applies, its national implementation can – and must – remain faithful to Luxembourg’s commitments in the field of human rights.

In conclusion, the LFR called on Members of Luxembourg’s Parliament and the Government to reject draft law 8684 and to:

• guarantee effective and accessible rights;

• put an end to the logic of detention;

• genuinely protect children;

• and place human dignity at the heart of asylum policies.