Netherlands extends increased border checks despite declining arrests, asylum requests
The Netherlands will continue to enforce additional border controls at points where people can enter from Belgium and Germany through June 8, despite the limited results which have been documented thus far. Extra patrols have been in place since December 9, with authorities conducting an average of 110 random checks on vehicles per day. During that time, just 250 individuals were denied entry to the Netherlands, about 30 others requested asylum, and 90 people were arrested for various offenses ranging from traffic violations to suspected people smuggling.
A year earlier, the number of suspects arrested during normal border patrol operations was far higher at 260, when authorities carried out nearly 25 percent fewer random checks. At that time, 150 more people who were residing in the Netherlands without permission were handed over to Belgian or German police, and 100 others requested asylum, Asylum and Immigration Minister Marjolein Faber wrote in a letter to Parliament on Friday.
Faber said it was “striking that the number of arrests for criminal offences during internal border controls is lower” than a year ago. She admitted an “exact reason cannot be determined” for this, but speculated that a 45-percent reduction in asylum inflow could be a factor.
The minister’s argument in favor of the increased border checks was based on claims of extraordinarily high volumes of people seeking asylum in the Netherlands. Faber did not explain her rationale for extending the project into June, except to say she considered the results to be “encouraging,” without elaborating further.
She conceded that the data shows “that approximately the same number of persons were checked during internal border controls” when compared with roughly the same period 12 months earlier. During both periods of time, just over 12,600 citizens of countries from outside the European Union were questioned by personnel during the random checks. The difference is that 9,900 checks on cars, trucks, vans buses and trains were needed to accomplish that under Faber’s watch from December 9 to March 9.
The patrols are carried out by the Marechaussee, the branch of the military responsible for protecting Dutch borders and airports. Last year, Faber stopped short of ordering mandatory checks at every land border crossing, of which there are more than 800, and instead called on the Marechaussee to deploy about 50 additional officers to carry out random checks, increasing the total to about 2,300 border guards.
The Marechaussee’s performance was more efficient a year ago, when 7,710 checks were carried out on road vehicles and trains, according to the data Faber presented. Some 41,750 people were screened, including 29,150 citizens from European Union countries during the most recent three month period. About 38,600 people were screened during the same time period a year earlier under the previous Cabinet’s administration. About 25,940 of them were also EU citizens.
“The possibilities for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of internal border controls are also continuously being examined,” Faber said.
The additional border controls were heavily criticized when Faber introduced the idea, and Members of Parliament accused her of keeping them in the dark about the nature of the checks. Eventually, it became clear that they would not include a return of gates and guard stations at road crossings. The Marechaussee affirmed shortly before the introduction of the increased controls that the situation would be largely the same just with more random traffic stops.
Parliamentarians and 46 border city mayors also previously raised objections and concerns that the increased border monitoring would disrupt tourism, business travel, commerce and logistics. This did not materialize, Faber stated. She wrote that the “flexible” nature of the internal border controls “had little impact on the flow of vehicles and travelers.” She said she would continue to monitor the situation.
