Hundreds of people returned to the Netherlands through border checkpoints, and 80 applied for asylum.
Since the reintroduction of border controls nearly a year ago, hundreds of people have been turned back at the Dutch border from Germany and Belgium. Government figures show that 470 people were denied entry at checkpoints in the nine months since last December, while another 230 were arrested on suspicion of committing crimes including human trafficking, drug smuggling, and traffic violations.
During the same period, 690 people were returned to the Netherlands from Germany and 120 from Belgium. The Netherlands handed over 490 people to the German authorities and 60 to Belgium. Additionally, 80 people submitted asylum requests at border checkpoints, in what former asylum minister Margot van der Kooi described as "the harshest asylum system ever."
Local communities reported significant disturbances due to surveillance. Ann-Marie Villinger, the mayor of Montferland in Gelderland, noted that 158 people were returned by the German police and were not handed over to Dutch authorities, leaving them stranded in her municipality. She expressed concern about the humane treatment of migrants who were left at the border.
The Dutch government confirms that border control has not caused significant negative impacts on border areas. Foreign Minister David van Wil explained that the measures are necessary due to the ongoing pressure on the asylum system, despite a 37% decrease in asylum applications year-on-year in the first eight months of 2025. However, the number of people residing in asylum seeker facilities increased by 7% during the same period.
The total number of people inspected by the Dutch border police between December and September reached 123,320, including nearly 30,000 vehicles. The military police recorded 75 cases of human trafficking, leading to the arrest of 42 individuals. Additionally, passengers arriving at Schiphol Airport from the Schengen area were inspected, with nearly 65,000 people checked since July 28, resulting in 20 individuals being denied entry, while fewer than ten people applied for asylum.