Asylum crisis calls for pragmatism, not wishful thinking

Wishful thinking in politics becomes more persistent as self-created migration chaos increases. Pragmatism seems to have passed the stage.

Politicians should not focus so much on paper solutions. That is the essence of a conclusion of the WODC, the knowledge center of the Ministry of Justice and Security. After research, the WODC established that returning migrants from safe countries such as Morocco or Tunisia is simply difficult, even if proper agreements can be made with the countries of origin. On average, 30 to 40 percent of the so-called ‘safe immigrants’ return, many prefer a life in illegality somewhere in Europe.

Safelanders dominate the Dutch asylum debate, especially because this relatively small group is largely responsible for the nuisance in and around asylum seekers’ centres. As a result, support for the reception of ‘real’ war refugees is rapidly declining, as can already be seen in the persistent reluctance of municipalities to offer more reception places for asylum seekers or homes for status holders.

However desirable it is to be able to return the safelanders, it is not a solution to the asylum crisis. The WODC therefore rightly points to the problem of wishful thinking in politics, a phenomenon that seems to become more persistent as the – self-created – chaos increases. The blockage in the asylum chain, for example, as a result of which hundreds of asylum seekers have to sleep outside or on the ground in the application center in Ter Apel or have to be moved from one place to another, is the result of ‘wishful thinking’ errors in estimation about the required reception capacity and not so much of force majeure.

Failing European policy

After all, the number of asylum seekers illegally entering the EU and continuing on is not extremely higher than in previous years, although there was a calculable catch-up effect due to corona. However, all hospitality seems to have been lost due to the extra flow of Ukrainian refugees who, although not covered by the asylum scheme, still rely on other schemes and especially the limited housing stock – also a self-created problem.

The fact that migrants and asylum seekers continue to travel illegally at all from the south of Europe, where they have entered illegally, to more prosperous countries such as the Netherlands, is the result of failing European policy. Ever since the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, the EU has failed to establish a functioning and fair asylum system. Attempts to distribute refugees more equitably among member states to relieve the burden on southern countries failed. This lack of solidarity means that countries such as Greece and Italy, in turn, do less to ensure that migrants do not travel on illegally.

In this vicious circle of powerlessness, fear reigns and the wall around Fortress Europe is erected ever higher, with migrants being pushed back into the sea by the coastguard or put naked across the border. The limit for humane reception is being stretched further and further, even canceling the Refugee Convention is no longer taboo. Here, too, politicians are wishingly blind to a paper solution: reception in the region and asylum seekers’ centers outside the EU’s borders – which no North African country is interested in.

The WODC rightly argues for ‘more realism’ in politics. The migration chaos will not disappear as long as there is no functioning European asylum system. And smugglers will continue to offer their services as long as there are no more legal avenues to reach the EU to apply for asylum or to work as seasonal workers. Meanwhile, the labor market is crying out for extra hands that are not being used. The asylum crisis requires pragmatism and not wishful thinking and looking away.