Netherlands proposes criminal penalties for obstructing deportation

Dutch Minister of Asylum and Migration, Bart van den Brink, has introduced a draft bill titled ‘Wet strafbaarstelling terugkeerfrustreerders’ (Criminalization of Return Frustrators). The proposal aims to penalize foreign nationals without legal residence who deliberately obstruct their own deportation processes.

Under the proposed law, individuals who actively prevent their return—such as by providing false identity information or refusing to cooperate with travel document requests—could face up to six months in prison. The Minister stated that criminal prosecution would serve as a final measure, applied only after all other efforts to facilitate departure have failed. The goal is to ensure a credible return policy to support the broader asylum system.