Annelies Van Bossuyt, Belgium's Minister for Migration, has called for the deportation of 60 Afghan asylum seekers who are currently imprisoned in the country for serious crimes such as murder and rape. She emphasized that these individuals should not be released onto Belgian streets after completing their sentences.
Ms. Van Bossuyt made these remarks during a plenary session in the Belgian parliament on Friday, October 1. "There are currently about 60 men from Afghanistan with illegal residency who are eligible for deportation. They are currently serving their sentences in Belgian prisons," she stated.
The migration minister added, "I do not want these individuals to be released onto the streets of Belgium after their sentences end, potentially causing more suffering and harm to the public; such a situation would be inhumane." She specified their crimes included being "murderers and rapists."
This debate arose amid criticism of the Belgian government for not making an exception for 13 students from Gaza. Some parliamentarians had requested that the government issue visas to these students, who have been accepted into Belgian universities, without requiring their physical presence at a diplomatic mission.
In response, Ms. Van Bossuyt argued that if Belgium were to make an exception, priority should be given to Afghan girls who have been deprived of their right to education by the Taliban government. She contended that Belgium has already provided significant assistance to Gaza.
She further described making an exception for Gazan students while denying Afghan girls and "100 gay men from Senegal who are even afraid to go to a consulate" as a form of "imperialism."
Source: Belgian Parliament
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