Alderman Pels unhappy with new asylum bill: "Camouflaged criminalization of illegality"

Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink has introduced a new legislative proposal aimed at criminalizing rejected asylum seekers who refuse to cooperate with their deportation. Under this plan, individuals who obstruct their return to their country of origin could face up to six months in prison or a fine of 5,500 euros. The minister argues that this measure is intended as a final resort for cases where all other efforts to facilitate departure have failed.

Amsterdam municipal official Zita Pels has strongly criticized the proposal, labeling it a disguised attempt to criminalize illegal status. Pels fears that jailing vulnerable individuals in desperate situations will exacerbate social issues on the streets and push people further into marginalization. Along with representatives from other major cities, Pels has expressed these concerns to the government. This development follows the collapse of previous asylum legislation in the Senate earlier this year, which failed largely due to controversies surrounding the proposed criminalization of illegal presence.