Netherlands to Drastically Tighten Asylum Rules

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The Dutch government is preparing to declare a state of emergency to severely restrict the entry of asylum seekers, Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber announced on Friday in The Hague. Parts of the asylum law are set to be suspended, with tougher border controls also planned. This move is part of a wider strategy to implement the "strictest" asylum and immigration policies in Europe, according to Faber.

The minister plans to restrict family reunifications, increase deportations of criminal and rejected asylum seekers, and limit the ability to challenge court rulings. The government has already announced that it will stop issuing permanent asylum permits as a first step.

The new right-wing coalition government in The Hague, which includes the radical right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders, has made tightening asylum laws a central issue. Despite a stable number of asylum seekers entering the country—around 40,000 annually—the Netherlands has faced ongoing issues with housing them.

Faber plans to request permission from the European Commission to deviate from EU asylum and migration policies. However, legal experts warn that the proposed measures could violate international law. Critics argue that the crisis in housing asylum seekers is the result of previous budget cuts, rather than an unexpected influx of migrants.