2023-09-17 10:57:00
Most of our 34,000 places for asylum seekers are already occupied. Result: more than 2,000 people entitled to a roof over their heads find themselves on the street… and the figure might still increase.
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor, persists: single and single men will not be welcomed in Belgium. The Council of State recently condemned this decision, but the government does not care. On the set of “It’s not every day Sunday“, the debates on the subject were lively between Sammy Mahdi, former Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration and president of the CD&V and Sibylle Gioé, vice-president of the Human Rights League.
“Solutions exist to accommodate all asylum seekers“, insists Sibylle Gioé. “Today, we have a government that spreads disinformation by explaining that there are no other solutions than to apply a scandalously discriminatory measure.“The government, in its defense, explains that there are not enough places to accommodate everyone.”In reality, the law provides for distribution in the municipalities. We need to distribute better. There are also temporary placements“, she explains.
Explanations that do not appeal
According to international treaties, Belgium would therefore be outlawed, a shame for some. “Not a country in Europe respects rights when it comes to migration“, tempers Sammy Mahdi. “Belgium welcomes three times more asylum seekers than Italy, for example. Five countries are doing more than they should, including Belgium“.
The president of the CD&V nevertheless points to the budgetary efforts for immigration. “The hospitality budget in Belgium has tripled. We reached 35,000 structural places, they have never been so high. We reach a certain limit, we are not Leroy Merlin, we cannot create places like that, we do not have a magic wand“.
Arguments which do not affect Sibylle Gioé, who notes that all the courts have rejected the excuses invoked, especially the French-speaking courts. “The increase in flows was a predictable effect, everyone said so. However, to govern is to plan, it is therefore a political choice not to welcome these people.”
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