Sept. 13 (UPI) — Saying it “cannot cope” with large number of migrants crossing its border, the Netherlands unveiled strict new anti-immigration measures Friday.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Minister of Asylum and Migration Marjolein Faber will enact the new emergency law “as soon as possible,” the government said in a statement.
The legislation will pave the way for the country to opt out of the European Union’s asylum and migration policy, which it plans to do next week.
“The voter has given a clear mandate. We need to change course and the influx must be reduced immediately. We are taking measures to make the Netherlands as unattractive as possible for asylum seekers. And there is no place here for anyone who abuses our hospitality. I am going for a safer Netherlands,” Faber said in the statement.
The Netherlands last fall elected the nationalist conservative, far-right Party for Freedom or PVV. The PVV garnered around a quarter of total seats in the Dutch parliament and now leads a coalition government.
“People feel the consequences of the asylum crisis every day,” Faber said in a video statement posted on X.
Faber also made it clear the Netherlands will ask Brussels for an opt-out of the EU asylum and migration policy and instead “join forces with like-minded countries in Europe” in a move she said will strengthen control of the country’s border.
The government said the “strictest asylum regime ever” is necessary to curb the flow of migrants into the country it contends is leading to problems in the public housing, health care and education sectors.
Under the new rules, the Netherlands’ declaration of undesirability will be expanded in an effort to more quickly deport immigrants who commit crimes.
The term nuclear family will also be limited to the narrowest possible definition. The country plans to only allow families of migrants to reunite if a clear permanent residence exists and one family member has had legal residence status for at least two years. That family member will also need to have a “suitable income.”
Asylum seekers will now be required to return to their country of origin as soon as it is safe there and will no longer automatically receive an asylum permit for an indefinite period after five years.
“By limiting the influx, fast procedures, a punitive approach to troublemakers, stricter border controls, limiting the possibilities for subsequent travel and firmly focusing on return, the Netherlands must become a leader in Europe when it comes to admission rules,” the government said in its statement.