MUSLIMS - Dutch have had enough of them
Feb 12th 2004, 12:47 am
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MUSLIMS - Dutch have had enough of them
Rotterdam refuses to take in any more refugees. The city authorities say the
influx of underprivileged newcomers is placing too heavy a burden on the
port's poorer districts. The move flies in the face of national government
policy, which is aimed at spreading new migrants across the country.
Nevertheless, Parliament says it´s willing to consider Rotterdam's
objections.
Foreign migrants will make up 70 percent of the Rotterdam population by 2017
if current policy remains unchanged. The forecast, by the Rotterdam Centre
for Research and Statistics, has sparked concern among city officials. They
argue that many of the newcomers are low-skilled and low-educated and
therefore end up in districts that are already facing serious social
problems. The Rotterdam authorities are preparing an action plan to "tackle
the accumulation of social and economic problems in certain
areas."Signalling one of the key measures that are set to be included in the
plan, Rotterdam's integration councillor, Sjaak van der Tak, has said the
city should no longer house any more asylum seekers, not even if they have
official refugee status:
"Already, Rotterdam has done 20 times as much as other major cities in the
Netherlands. We feel enough is enough, and that's why we're asking the
national government to spare us."
Equal share
Dutch municipalities are obliged to take in a specific number of refugees
who've been granted residence permits according to a formula set by the
national government. Rotterdam should meet its obligations, stresses
Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk.
But a majority with the Lower House of Parliament feels the government also
has an obligation to ensure that the refugees are in fact spread across the
country as planned. In the present situation, refugees often reject
accommodation offered to them in the countryside. They prefer to live in
urban areas, where they have relatives and friends and more services at
hand.
Integration Minister Verdonk has suggested other ways to create more space:
"I would say: just look at the number of illegal migrants still in the city,
people whose asylum applications have been turned down, but are still
occupying homes where they no longer belong. Just start enforcing deporting
them and there'll be plenty of room."
Tougher policies
The Dutch Immigration Ministry recently reported that just over 4,300 people
requested asylum in the Netherlands between May and August of this year, a
decrease of 17 percent compared with the previous four months.
Owing to tougher legislation, the number of requests for asylum decreased by
50 percent last year. Many asylum centres have since closed their doors.
The statement sums up current government policy: taking in fewer asylum
seekers, offering proper accommodation to those already in the country and
sending back those whose asylum requests are rejected to the countries they
come from. But for the implementation of this policy, the integration
minister needs the cooperation of municipalities. And that's what has been
lacking, much to Mrs Verdonk's frustration.
Late 2002, the Justice Minister and the Association of Netherlands
Municipalities agreed that the municipalities would no longer have to
accommodate rejected asylum seekers. As of June this year, that would be the
national government's responsibility. Two large deportation centres were set
up: at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and at Zestienhoven Airport in
Rotterdam, offering a total of 600 cells. But not nearly that number have
been finished yet and this had prompted the municipal governments to take
the accommodation issue into their own hands.
Passing the buck
They fear that asylum seekers who have exhausted their appeals will
otherwise end up with entrenched illegal status. For that reason, the
western town of Noordwijk is spending 200,000 euros on food and housing each
year. Likewise, the southern city of 's-Hertogenbosch has started handing
out special identity cards that give illegal immigrants the right to a free
bed and meal. But Rotterdam will not copy their example. In fact, the four
major cities in the Netherlands have agreed to stick to national policy
tasking the ministry in The Hague to provide accommodation. The flip side of
this decision for Rotterdam is that it's losing track of the number of
rejected asylum seekers.
Rotterdam is now drawing national attention to the problem, but the solution
it offers doesn't seem justified. How can you deny foreigners with residence
permits the right to live where they want? While trying to solve the
problem, Integration Minister Rita Verdonk merely touches on another: the
group of illegal immigrants who have no right to stay in urban areas, but
are not deported. Pointing the accusing finger at each may be the easy
option, but it will benefit no one in the end.
http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/dut031112.html
influx of underprivileged newcomers is placing too heavy a burden on the
port's poorer districts. The move flies in the face of national government
policy, which is aimed at spreading new migrants across the country.
Nevertheless, Parliament says it´s willing to consider Rotterdam's
objections.
Foreign migrants will make up 70 percent of the Rotterdam population by 2017
if current policy remains unchanged. The forecast, by the Rotterdam Centre
for Research and Statistics, has sparked concern among city officials. They
argue that many of the newcomers are low-skilled and low-educated and
therefore end up in districts that are already facing serious social
problems. The Rotterdam authorities are preparing an action plan to "tackle
the accumulation of social and economic problems in certain
areas."Signalling one of the key measures that are set to be included in the
plan, Rotterdam's integration councillor, Sjaak van der Tak, has said the
city should no longer house any more asylum seekers, not even if they have
official refugee status:
"Already, Rotterdam has done 20 times as much as other major cities in the
Netherlands. We feel enough is enough, and that's why we're asking the
national government to spare us."
Equal share
Dutch municipalities are obliged to take in a specific number of refugees
who've been granted residence permits according to a formula set by the
national government. Rotterdam should meet its obligations, stresses
Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk.
But a majority with the Lower House of Parliament feels the government also
has an obligation to ensure that the refugees are in fact spread across the
country as planned. In the present situation, refugees often reject
accommodation offered to them in the countryside. They prefer to live in
urban areas, where they have relatives and friends and more services at
hand.
Integration Minister Verdonk has suggested other ways to create more space:
"I would say: just look at the number of illegal migrants still in the city,
people whose asylum applications have been turned down, but are still
occupying homes where they no longer belong. Just start enforcing deporting
them and there'll be plenty of room."
Tougher policies
The Dutch Immigration Ministry recently reported that just over 4,300 people
requested asylum in the Netherlands between May and August of this year, a
decrease of 17 percent compared with the previous four months.
Owing to tougher legislation, the number of requests for asylum decreased by
50 percent last year. Many asylum centres have since closed their doors.
The statement sums up current government policy: taking in fewer asylum
seekers, offering proper accommodation to those already in the country and
sending back those whose asylum requests are rejected to the countries they
come from. But for the implementation of this policy, the integration
minister needs the cooperation of municipalities. And that's what has been
lacking, much to Mrs Verdonk's frustration.
Late 2002, the Justice Minister and the Association of Netherlands
Municipalities agreed that the municipalities would no longer have to
accommodate rejected asylum seekers. As of June this year, that would be the
national government's responsibility. Two large deportation centres were set
up: at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and at Zestienhoven Airport in
Rotterdam, offering a total of 600 cells. But not nearly that number have
been finished yet and this had prompted the municipal governments to take
the accommodation issue into their own hands.
Passing the buck
They fear that asylum seekers who have exhausted their appeals will
otherwise end up with entrenched illegal status. For that reason, the
western town of Noordwijk is spending 200,000 euros on food and housing each
year. Likewise, the southern city of 's-Hertogenbosch has started handing
out special identity cards that give illegal immigrants the right to a free
bed and meal. But Rotterdam will not copy their example. In fact, the four
major cities in the Netherlands have agreed to stick to national policy
tasking the ministry in The Hague to provide accommodation. The flip side of
this decision for Rotterdam is that it's losing track of the number of
rejected asylum seekers.
Rotterdam is now drawing national attention to the problem, but the solution
it offers doesn't seem justified. How can you deny foreigners with residence
permits the right to live where they want? While trying to solve the
problem, Integration Minister Rita Verdonk merely touches on another: the
group of illegal immigrants who have no right to stay in urban areas, but
are not deported. Pointing the accusing finger at each may be the easy
option, but it will benefit no one in the end.
http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/dut031112.html
