Welcome to a new episode of the podcast “Integration or ReImmigration.”
My name is Fabio Loscerbo, I am an Italian immigration lawyer, and in this episode I want to explain a concept that is becoming increasingly important in the European debate on migration: the difference between Remigration and ReImmigration.
In recent years immigration has become one of the most debated political issues in Europe, just as it is in the United States. Across many European countries, political movements and commentators have begun to use the term Remigration.
Remigration generally refers to the idea that large numbers of immigrants—or even people with immigrant backgrounds—should return to their countries of origin. The underlying assumption behind this concept is often demographic or cultural: the belief that immigration has fundamentally changed European societies and that the solution is to reverse that transformation.
But there is another way to think about immigration policy, and this is what I call ReImmigration.
ReImmigration is not based on identity politics or demographic engineering. Instead, it is a legal and institutional framework for governing immigration, built around one central principle: integration.
The idea is simple.
If a migrant integrates into the host society—by working, respecting the law, learning the language, and participating in the community—then that person should be able to remain.
If integration does not occur, then returning to the country of origin becomes a legitimate outcome.
In other words, integration becomes the key criterion for residence.
This approach is particularly relevant in Europe because immigration policy operates within a complex legal framework. European states are bound by constitutional principles, international law, and human rights treaties. Governments cannot simply remove people without considering their fundamental rights.
In my book “Complementary Protection,” I explain how European legal systems include safeguards such as the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning a person to a country where their fundamental rights would be at risk. European law also protects the right to private and family life, recognized under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
These legal constraints mean that immigration policy cannot be built solely on mass deportation or purely political slogans. It must operate within the rule of law.
That is why I developed the concept of ReImmigration. It is an attempt to reconcile three elements that are often treated as incompatible: human rights, national interest, and social integration.
From this perspective, the real question facing Europe—and in many ways also the United States—is not simply how to stop immigration or how to accept everyone. The real challenge is to build a system that encourages integration while maintaining clear rules about residence and return.
This is the core idea behind the paradigm Integration or ReImmigration.
Thank you for listening to this episode.
I am Fabio Loscerbo, and I will see you in the next episode of the podcast.
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