Teeven's asylum policy protested within PvdA

Within the PvdA, a renewed protest has erupted over the Immigration Policy of state secretary Fred Teeven (VVD, Asylum). A motion is being drafted that rejects the imprisonment of children of asylum seekers. It is a motion of Sander Terphuis(PvdA). This coming saturday, a party congress of the PvdA will take place, during which there could be a voting on the motion of Sander Terphuis, who also led the resistance against the punishment of illegal immigrants, De Telegraaf reports Monday. Terphius wants this motion to serve as a clear signal to MPs of the PvdA. "It is dreadful that children are being put in a cel if they fly into the Netherlands", Terphuis said during the debate de Volkskrant op Zondag. "This is the limit of human rights violations: locking up small innocent children." Fred Teeven says it's "too easy" to say that children shouldn't be locked up.

According to VVD MPs, children shouldn't disappear from view if they come into the country without travel documents. "Young girls can be smuggled into the country so easily, and end up in prostitution", Teeven warns. "Maybe the adults they travel with aren't the parents, but people-smugglers." Earlier, Teeven said that he wants to prevent families form disappearing into illegality. He promised the House of Parliament that he would make an overview of alternatives to immigrant detention — with the expenses included, so parliament can take those into account as well. This is not the first time that the VVD and the PvdA disagreed about asylum policies. They have opposing ideals. "That makes it difficult and complicated" Teeven said on Sunday. By "working hard and noting results" he hopes to retain the loyalty of both coalition parties.