Dutch Government Prepares Fresh Crackdown on Asylum System Within Weeks
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has pledged to introduce new asylum restrictions within two weeks after the Senate rejected a bill aimed at tightening migration rules, calling the decision a serious missed opportunity.
Jetten strongly criticized the vote, accusing the far-right PVV of political sabotage. He said the party opposed measures originally drafted by its own former asylum minister Marjolein Faber, despite the law being intended to strengthen enforcement against illegal residence.
The rejected bill would have made it a criminal offence for rejected asylum seekers to remain in the Netherlands without legal status, enabling authorities to arrest and deport them more efficiently. However, the PVV objected to a controversial clause introduced by Justice Minister David van Weel, which clarified that individuals assisting undocumented migrants would not face prosecution.
Following the clause’s defeat by a single vote, the Christian Democrats (CDA) and the orthodox Protestant SGP withdrew their support, and the PVV also voted against the proposal. Jetten’s own D66 party had already opposed the bill, with senator Boris Dittrich describing it as unnecessarily harsh and impractical.
Despite the collapse of the legislation, Jetten said the cabinet would take responsibility and return with a new package of reforms within two weeks. Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink is now working on alternative measures, including expanding the definition of “undesirable aliens” to target those resisting deportation, rather than criminalizing illegal stay directly.
The government is also considering removing financial penalties imposed on the immigration service IND for delays in processing asylum applications. Last year, these fines reached €79 million as waiting times rose to an average of 67 weeks. Meanwhile, asylum applications dropped from 32,000 to 24,000, and approval rates fell from 58% to 36%.