Dutch Prove ”Change Is Possible” With Overseas Return Hubs

The Dutch government is working to regain control of the country’s border, by opening Europe’s first ‘returns hubs’ outside the European Union. Reports say this could “soon” allow for migrants who have been refused the right to stay in the bloc to be deported.

Andrea Čepová, the deputy secretary general of the European Parliament’s ECR Group, said the establishment of these hubs would prove that “change is possible,” and celebrated that “political shifts” are taking place across the continent.

Hungarian geopolitical analyst Zoltán Koskovics also hailed that former prime minister Viktor Orbán “was right all along.”

The move comes amid protests across the Netherlands against a law forcing municipalities to accept quotas of asylum seekers.

Dutch Asylum and Migration Minister Bart van den Brink on Friday said that plans were in response to citizens “asking for concrete solutions to get a grip on migration,” adding:

This is not a matter of pushing a button, but a long-term and careful process. In this way, we break the business model of human smugglers and ensure that people who truly need our help receive proper reception.

His government is also working on plans to have asylum applications processed outside of the EU. These plans are being drawn out alongside officials in Denmark, Malta, and Sweden.

The location of the first returns hub outside of the bloc has yet to be announced. Officials say they see no legal objections to the plan, but figures in Brussels should be expected to come up with something.