 Underlining her assertion that she runs a "restrictive immigration policy", Minister Rita Verdonk has proposed expelling all newcomers who are convicted of any crime.
| Sounds like an eminently sensible course of action to me... |
Under the current law, an immigrant can be stripped of his or her residence permit after conviction for a very serious offence. Verdonk wants to extend the law to cover all crimes, including theft. Verdonk was to bring her proposal to the Cabinet on Friday, informed sources in the Hague told the media. The Liberal Party minister's plan will not apply to people granted asylum or newcomers who become Dutch citizens.
| Why not? If you're granted asylum you're being extended the host nation's hospitality. If you abuse that hospitality, why shouldn't they kick your ass out? If you're a naturalized citizen, it's presumably on the understanding you're going to be a good citizen. If you're not, you're a citizen under false pretenses. |
Liberal Party MP Arno Visser said the idea was a good one. He has called for such measures in the past, saying it is important that foreigners, or vreemdelingen, adhere to Dutch law at all times. According to him, the immigration service (IND) operates a sliding scale under which the chance of a foreigner being expelled declines the longer the person is in the Netherlands. Labour Party (MP) Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the proposal is too extreme.
| Does he give any reasons? |
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