Dutch border police used force against children ten times in deportations last year
In 2024, the Koninklijke Marechaussee applied force and physical restraints at least 199 times during forced deportations, including ten incidents involving children. The measures, often carried out on commercial flights, ranged from tie-wraps and spit masks to jaw restraints and the use of a bodycuff—a type of straitjacket.
These figures emerged from hundreds of official reports on the use of force, which were obtained by Argos and analyzed in detail. The Ministry of Justice and Security confirmed in response to Argos inquiries that ten “forms documenting the use of force” were filed for children last year, formally recording that minors were subjected to physical coercion or restraint during deportation. The ages of the children were not disclosed.
Brigade commander Martin Oudman of the Marechaussee acknowledged in an interview that such measures can involve children. “Formally, we do not have a minimum age threshold,” Oudman told Argos. “But in practice, it hardly ever happens that under the age of about twelve we still need to do something that we cannot resolve through conversation or by involving the parents.” He emphasized that the behavior of the children and their parents is a major factor in determining “what we put up against it.”
The deportation files reviewed by Argos included detailed accounts of removals of families with children. Defence for Children, a children’s rights organization, reviewed the reports and expressed serious concerns. Director Mirjam Blaak stated, “We are shocked by signals indicating unnecessary and excessive violence against children. We believe that no violence or liberty-restricting measures should be used on children during deportations if there is no necessity.”
Blaak pointed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which she said permits violence and restraint against children only as ultimum remedium, an absolute last resort. “We question whether, in certain situations, the force that was applied should have been applied at all.” The organization called for an independent investigation into deportations involving children.
The Marechaussee said its aim is always to avoid using force on children and cited the core values guiding deportation operations: “humane, professional, diplomatic, and de-escalating.”
Emeritus professor of criminal and immigration law Anton van Kalmthout told Argos that the Convention on the Rights of the Child is hardly implemented in Dutch immigration law. “That makes it very difficult. The decision lies with the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service), so when you see that children are sent back, the Marechaussee is simply the executor. I am convinced they find this very difficult internally.”
Oudman confirmed that these deportations are stressful for Marechaussee officers as well. “When such a deportation is scheduled, there is a certain atmosphere on the work floor the entire week,” he told Argos.
According to the Ministry of Asylum and Migration, during the entire return process, discussions take place with the Dienst Terugkeer en Vertrek (Repatriation and Departure Service), the agency responsible for implementing Dutch return policy. “During these conversations, special circumstances on the part of the foreign national are actively discussed. This applies especially when minors are involved, whether in a family context or not. In the departure procedure, these interests are weighed as carefully as possible.”
Children awaiting forced removal are held in a special detention facility for families in Zeist. The ministry said, “The closed family facility is designed to take the interests of the minor (and any family members) into account as much as possible.”
Beyond the use of force, the reports revealed repeated encounters with people experiencing psychosis or severe confusion. Van Kalmthout noted, “What stands out is still a fairly large number of people with psychoses and disorientation. But you also come across razor blades, pieces of glass—people who self-harm and risk swallowing objects.”
In 2024, the Marechaussee reported four incidents involving sharp objects such as razor blades or glass. In 2023, this happened six times.
Van Kalmthout said the problem is partly due to a lack of information-sharing before deportations. “Often the information about the foreign national’s mental health is not passed on to the Marechaussee, or documents are not in order. And how is it possible that those razor blades were not detected?”
Despite mental health risks, the Marechaussee is expected to proceed. “The Marechaussee deports, regardless of how confused someone is. Ten percent of deportations fail, and confusion could play a significant role. So if you want to achieve 100 percent deportations and need less medical care, it seems sensible to know the psychological condition. And that is exactly where things are lacking,” Van Kalmthout told Argos. The Justice and Security Inspectorate has flagged the information gap for years.
The Dienst Terugkeer en Vertrek (Repatriation and Departure Service) responded that flights are regularly aborted on medical grounds. “In 2024, this happened about one hundred times,” the agency stated. The same approximate number applied the previous year. “A flight is canceled, for example, when a foreign national becomes acutely seriously ill at the airport, and medical staff determine they can no longer travel, or if the medical conditions in the Fit-to-Fly declaration can no longer be met.”
Van Kalmthout added that despite the ongoing issues, he no longer views the deportation process as entirely negative. “There was a time when they had no training and no debriefing. There was no medical care en route, and then they gave people injections to keep them calm. I criticized that strongly in the past. After that, a complaints committee was created. So I must say that much has improved since I started working on this.”
