Teeven survives confidence vote in Parliament

A proposal by the PVV to hold a vote of confidence on Security and Justice Secretary Fred Teeven was slapped down by Members of Parliament in the Tweede Kamer. The PVV called the vote following Teeven’s acknowledgement that asylum seekers have been entering the Netherlands in droves, possibly by a coordinated human trafficking effort. In a broadcast interview Wednesday, Teeven said that the number of asylum seekers in the Netherlands skyrocketed to 1,000 people weekly from 1,000 people monthly. Teeven said that there is also a sudden influx in prospective immigrants from Eritrea. Teeven also expressed concern in the apparent coordinated stories that many of these asylum seekers have, who all seem to have the exact same amount of money. Teeven told Parliament that dubious asylum seekers caught sneaking into the country will not be returned to their home countries due to the suspicious nature of these asylum cases. Evidence suggests many of the asylum seekers leave Africa by boat, entering the EU via Italy, Teeven told Parliament. The issue was brought to the forefront of public debate today by PVV MP Sietse Fritsma, who demanded the shuttering of Dutch borders and the removal of Teeven from the number two position in Security and Justice. “Teeven has created the problem himself by effecting the PvdA’s entire wish list with a new pardon ruling, scattering residence permits and pampering illegals,” Fritsma said earlier today. “Now he has to see the consequences of this mismanagement and deal with it.” Teeven was recently on the hot seat for his position on strict rules imposed upon child asylum seekers. He also survived an attempt to remove him from his office over a year ago.