Each year some 20,000 irregular migrants and asylum-seekers are detained in the Netherlands, where the use and duration of detention and other restrictive administrative measures is increasing. This report examines how far these measures have led to a deterioration in the human rights situation of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers. It also underlines Amnesty International’s growing concern over the control and security oriented approach by governments worldwide, in an effort to “combat” irregular migration, at the cost of migrants’ human rights.
The report examines how far Dutch immigration policy conforms with international human rights law, which considers that immigration detention should be an extreme measure of last resort. It looks at the effect on vulnerable groups of increasingly restrictive measures, and considers whether Dutch law and practice allow for sufficient and effective accountability, transparency and accessibility for irregular migrants and asylum-seekers to seek redress and enjoy the protection of their human rights, despite their irregular status.
