Spurred by the possible expulsion of the 18-year-old Angolan asylum seeker Mauro Manuel, the debate concerning resident permits for immigrants has once again taken central stage in the Netherlands. Based on the current immigration laws, Mauro should be sent back to Angola after 10 years of living in the Netherlands. Yet, the opposition parties have expressed their concerns for the ‘systematic and inhumane’ approach to such asylum ruling processes.
The Dutch Minister of Immigration and Asylum agreed to reconsider his status, without wanting to create any “expectations” for Mauro, who fled his country as a minor ten years ago. Almost two weeks later, the ruling party VVD and the supporting anti-migration Freedom Party have expressed clearly that they will not give in; Mauro should leave.
Underlying the discussion in parliament of the individual case of Mauro, is the fear of setting a ‘precedent’ for future asylum cases in the Netherlands. Whether or not Mauro has a ‘right’ to stay, the fear that a mass of other pleas will follow based on this one case might just be strong enough to expel the Angolan teenager. While such worries seem to dominate the debate, the Minister tried to counter the fears and stated, “a country that opposes migration is on the wrong path”. Unfortunately he does not mention where this path should or should not lead to.
As a reaction, the Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders posted a tweet stating that the soft approach of the Minister was “stupid” and could count on harsh measures if agreements are not met. This soft approach actually reflects the party programme of one of the ruling parties in which immigration is argued to be an “enrichment of society”. According to the Minister for Immigration, migration has received too much negative attention these days, while actually he feels we should support those people who have faced fears and repression in their home countries. “Migrants could provide the Dutch society with innovative ideas and new insights”, and this potential should be nourished according to the Minister. Whether Mauro will benefit from this “soft” approach remains to be seen.
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