Dutch MPs Back Deporting Moroccan Migrants from Ceuta Without Processing Asylum Claims
A majority of Dutch MPs are calling for the return of migrants who arrived in large numbers in Ceuta, without examining their asylum claims. Adopted on 30 September, the motion also targets people still in the enclave after crossings from Morocco in July.
The motion, presented by Diederik Boomsma, an MP from the JA21 party, received 94 votes out of 150 in the House of Representatives. The VVD, PVV and CDA were among those who supported it, while D66, DENK and several left-wing parties voted against it, according to the record published by the Dutch House of Representatives.
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Boomsma is asking the government to put forward this position at the European Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Luxembourg. He also wants it to guide discussions on a new European mechanism for responding to border crises.
His proposal is not limited to future arrivals. It explicitly calls for migrants still in Ceuta to be returned without entering an asylum procedure. The vote thus gives parliamentary backing to the request, whose implementation would be pursued through European discussions.
A second motion calls for pressure on Morocco
The MP also tabled a motion aimed directly at Rabat. It accuses the Moroccan authorities of refusing to take back the bodies of nationals who drowned during the July crossings and of failing to cooperate in identifying them.
On that basis, Boomsma is calling for a joint condemnation and pressure to be exerted alongside other European countries. He is also asking Morocco to help prevent further mass crossings. The government recommended voting against this second motion.
Returns are already being discussed between Madrid and Rabat. On 24 September in New York, Nasser Bourita assured José Manuel Albares of Morocco’s full cooperation in organizing the return of migrants in an irregular situation who are not eligible for international protection.
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Dutch MPs are calling for more: their adopted motion seeks to bypass the asylum procedure for people involved in these mass arrivals, including those still in the enclave.
