The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary Meaning

The EU Return Directive demands that immigrant detention be as short as possible, but, by logical implication, this also means that detention can be as long as necessary. What concerns the maximum length of detention, the Return Directive is remarkably generous: Immigrants can be detained for a peri...

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Main Authors: Bas Schotel, Ingo Venzke
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-02-01
Series:German Law Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2071832224000671/type/journal_article
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author Bas Schotel
Ingo Venzke
author_facet Bas Schotel
Ingo Venzke
author_sort Bas Schotel
collection DOAJ
description The EU Return Directive demands that immigrant detention be as short as possible, but, by logical implication, this also means that detention can be as long as necessary. What concerns the maximum length of detention, the Return Directive is remarkably generous: Immigrants can be detained for a period of up to eighteen months—a deprivation of liberty that is otherwise justified only as punishment for serious crimes. The practice of such long-term detention, now burgeoning, is highly questionable for moral, practical, and—our focus—legal reasons.
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spelling doaj-art-d961845144744349966b4636d2fb4fbc2025-08-20T03:09:31ZengCambridge University PressGerman Law Journal2071-83222025-02-01269411310.1017/glj.2024.67The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary MeaningBas Schotel0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9203-1001Ingo Venzke1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5993-4869Department of Jurisprudence, Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of International and European Law, Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam, NetherlandsThe EU Return Directive demands that immigrant detention be as short as possible, but, by logical implication, this also means that detention can be as long as necessary. What concerns the maximum length of detention, the Return Directive is remarkably generous: Immigrants can be detained for a period of up to eighteen months—a deprivation of liberty that is otherwise justified only as punishment for serious crimes. The practice of such long-term detention, now burgeoning, is highly questionable for moral, practical, and—our focus—legal reasons.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2071832224000671/type/journal_articlePre-removal detentionEU Return DirectiveEuropean Convention of Human RightsEuropean Court of Human Rightsmethods of treaty interpretationVienna Convention of the Law of Treatiesordinary meaningsemantic changeliving-instrument doctrine
spellingShingle Bas Schotel
Ingo Venzke
The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary Meaning
German Law Journal
Pre-removal detention
EU Return Directive
European Convention of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
methods of treaty interpretation
Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties
ordinary meaning
semantic change
living-instrument doctrine
title The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary Meaning
title_full The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary Meaning
title_fullStr The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary Meaning
title_full_unstemmed The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary Meaning
title_short The Pre-Removal Detention of Immigrants: A Return to Ordinary Meaning
title_sort pre removal detention of immigrants a return to ordinary meaning
topic Pre-removal detention
EU Return Directive
European Convention of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
methods of treaty interpretation
Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties
ordinary meaning
semantic change
living-instrument doctrine
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2071832224000671/type/journal_article
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