Conflicting signals from immigration minister Faber complicate implementation of Dispersal Act
image: Antoine Merour on Unsplash
The Dispersal Act that aims to distribute asylum seekers evenly across Dutch municipalities and was scheduled for 1 July 2025, is having a bumpy ride. Mark Klaassen, Assistant Professor in Migration Law, commented on Dutch news programme ‘EenVandaag’.
Minister Faber seems to be undermining the legislation by indicating that she wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. As a result, municipalities are becoming more reluctant to offer reception places as they expect that the Dispersal Act will no longer go ahead. These conflicting signals are already creating problems for the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA).
Municipalities are making strategic choices on how to avoid their obligations under the legislation, which will only add to the chaos surrounding the reception of asylum seekers. Klaassen understands the unrest felt by some municipalities: ‘while municipalities face an obligation to arrange the reception of asylum seekers for the first time, the minister is saying she wants to get rid of the Act as soon as possible. That leads to calculating behaviour from municipalities who have started to see how they can avoid meeting their obligations.'
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Watch the EenVandaag broadcast (in Dutch)