During the Dutch parliamentary elections, people once again longed for “decency” to return to the chamber. This Thursday, we will see in Europe what that decent course on migration actually looks like. Through cooperation between the Christian Democrats and the radical right, rejected asylum seekers in Europe may soon be deported to arbitrary countries anywhere in the world, and children may be placed in detention. This is not the community of values Europe is supposed to be.
The European Parliament votes this Thursday on the latest return law put forward by the Christian Democrats and the radical right. VVD member Malik Azmani was the lead negotiator on the file, but he failed to strike a deal with the democratic, pro-European parties. Leaked messages show that the Christian Democrats then conspired with conservative and radical-right parties to force through their hardline migration policy.
“Compassion and charity have been traded in for tough talk that seems designed to outdo the parties on the (far) right”
The result of this backroom deal with the radical right: inhumane proposals. Detaining people is no longer seen as a “last resort,” but can happen as soon as asylum seekers cannot immediately show their documents. Anyone who works with refugees knows it is common for people to lose their papers when they leave their homes in a hurry. Rejected asylum seekers can be deported to countries anywhere in the world with which a deal has been made, without Europe being able to guarantee that human rights will be respected there. Children are not spared in these migration plans either, and may be placed in detention. Let one thing be clear: if your plans include locking up children, that is a clear sign they are wrong.
The CDA presents itself in the Netherlands as a staunch supporter of return hubs. For example, Minister Van den Brink for Asylum and Migration (CDA) has joined the European frontrunners to bring these plans about as quickly as possible. With longing eyes, von der Leyen and other Christian Democrats had already looked earlier at version 1.0 of a return hub: the detention centre in Albania. Built and financed by the right-wing Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Prison Albania
I visited this detention centre in Albania twice. These visits made a deep impression on me. The place most resembles a bare prison where people wait in hopeless situations for whatever may come next. Numb from antidepressants, unaware of what day it is or why they are being held there. In the incident log, I read about several suicide attempts and about a man who stitched his own mouth shut in protest. Another man I spoke to, one of the few who was not yet using sedatives, told me he felt surrounded by “zombies”: “It drives you mad.”
The prison in Albania is now still only a place for men whose asylum claims have been rejected. Soon, the intention is for these prisons at Europe’s borders to also be used for women and children who have not yet even started their asylum procedure. They may then have to remain in such a prison for years.
Fortress Europe is raising the walls. The CDA will breathe a sigh of relief: “We’ve taken the wind out of the sails of the radical right.” Without realising that, through their cooperation, the fringes no longer need to govern in order to see their migration policy carried out. The cordon sanitaire has long been left behind by the Christian Democrats in Europe. Compassion and kindness have been traded for tough rhetoric, with which the parties seem to want to outdo those on the (far) right.
Europe, not the US
The inhumane images of ICE in America are burned into our minds: masked men pulling people from their cars, workplaces, and homes. According to Reuters, nearly 70,000 people are now being held in detention centres in America. We now know what it can mean when radical-right anti-migration rhetoric is translated into policy. I do not want Europe to become like the United States. Let America be our warning. Human rights must not be used as bargaining chips when they are politically unpopular. We should fight for them even harder when they come under pressure.
So, CDA: vote against this law and keep decency. As promised.