A bill setting new limits on asylum-seekers passes in the Dutch parliament
The legislation cuts temporary asylum residency from five to three years, indefinitely suspends the issuance of new asylum residency permits and reins in family reunions for people who have been granted asylum. It passed in the lower house late Thursday evening but could still be rejected in the upper house.
The Dutch Red Cross has estimated 23,000 to 58,000 people live in the Netherlands without an official right to residence.
Taking tough measures to rein in migration was a policy cornerstone for the four-party coalition led by the Party for Freedom of anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders. The coalition collapsed last month after just 11 months in office, and migration is expected to be a key issue ahead of the snap election Oct. 29.
Wilders pulled the plug on the coalition saying it was taking too long to enact moves to rein in migration. His coalition partners rejected the criticism, saying they all backed the crackdown. His party currently holds a narrow lead in opinion polls over a center-left two-party bloc that recently agreed to a formal merger.
The opposition Christian Democrats withdrew their support for the legislation put to the vote Thursday over a late amendment that would criminalize people living in the Netherlands without a valid visa or asylum ruling — and would also criminalize people and organizations that help such undocumented migrants. The amendment was introduced by a member of Wilders' party and passed narrowly because a small number of opposition lawmakers were not present for the vote.
The vote took place in the final session of parliament before lawmakers broke for the summer. The upper house will consider the legislation after it returns from the recess. If Christian Democrats in the upper chamber reject it, the legislation will be returned to the lower house.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Alleged leader of Mexican kidnapping ring released after nearly 20 years in prison
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The alleged leader of an infamous Mexican kidnapping ring walked out of a maximum security prison after nearly 20 years Friday, hours after a judge said there wasn't sufficient evidence to support the charges holding him. Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez on Friday rattled off a list of appeals, injunctions and complaints filed over the years of Israel Vallarta's imprisonment in a case that never arrived at a verdict. The Attorney General's Office did not immediately respond as to whether it would appeal. Vallarta was arrested in 2005, along with his girlfriend French citizen Florence Cassez. Cassez was eventually convicted and sentenced to 60 years on charges of aiding a kidnapping ring, in a case that soured relations between Paris and Mexico City. She acknowledged living with Vallarta at a ranch where kidnap victims were being held, but professed her innocence, saying she was unaware of their presence. One victim identified her as a kidnapper, but by voice only rather than by sight. A day after Cassez was arrested, police had forced her to take part in a staged raid on the ranch purportedly to rescue hostages and arrest suspects. It was covered by the media and broadcast on television. In January 2013 the Supreme Court overturned Cassez's conviction due to procedural and rights violations. She was released and became a cause celebre in France.
New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
US job market cools as pressure grows on Jerome Powell to cut rates
The US job market cooled down in July as government and foreign workers suffered a significant hit — will likely putting renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut rates in September. Nonfarm payrolls swelled by a lower-than-expected 73,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, falling short of the 100,000 jobs forecast by economists polled by the Wall Street Journal. Private sector employment increased by 85,000, while government jobs declined by 12,000, according to the data. 3 US employers added just 73,000 jobs in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. AP Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has chopped 84,000 jobs since January. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in July ticked up slightly to 4.2%, according to a separate report by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The employment level of foreign-born workers – which does not distinguish between illegal and legal immigrants – has dropped by about 1 million since President Trump returned to the White House in January, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The number of US-born workers jumped by about 2.5 million over the same period, according to the data. Hiring in July continued to increase in health care and social assistance, adding 55,000 and 18,000 jobs respectively, according to BLS. Average hourly earnings for nonfarm payroll employees rose by 12 cents, or 0.3%, to $36.44 in July. Earnings have increased 3.9% over the past 12 months, continuing to outpace inflation, which currently runs at 2.4%. 'Inflation has cooled, wages have increased, unemployment is stable, and the private sector is growing,' White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told The Post. 'President Trump's America First agenda has ensured new jobs go to American citizens, instead of illegals or foreign-born workers.' 3 Employment in May and June added 258,000 fewer jobs than previously reported. AP The latest job figures come on the heels of data released earlier this week that showed the US economy grew at a faster pace than expected. 'Following expectation-defying 3% GDP growth in the second quarter, today's jobs report provides further evidence that the American people are seeing real progress as we recover from the failed economic policies of the previous administration,' US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said Friday. But the July jobs report drastically revised down the gains made in the two previous months. Payrolls for June were slashed to 14,000 from the 147,000 originally reported, the fewest in nearly five years, while the May total was cut by 125,000 to a gain of 19,000 jobs. The BLS described the revisions to May and June payrolls data as 'larger than normal.' In July, the number of long-term unemployed people – those jobless for 27 weeks or more – jumped by 179,000 to 1.8 million. 'While the labor market is not in crisis, hiring momentum continues to soften, and pressures are beginning to build,' Ger Doyle, North America president at Manpower Group, said in a note Friday. 3 The labor force participation rate changed little at 62.2%. Christopher Sadowski 'Employers continue to remain cautious, but with positive signals from consumer confidence and GDP growth, we may be nearing a turning point.' The labor market is weakening at a time when tariffs are starting to boost inflation, leading Wall Street experts to increase the likelihood for the Fed to cut rates after policymakers kept them unchanged Wednesday. 'The door to a Fed rate cut in September just got opened a crack wider,' said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS. 'The labor market is not rolling over, but it is badly wounded and may yet bring about a reversal in the US economy's fortunes. Trump on Friday called on the Federal Reserve Board to 'assume control' if Fed Chair Jerome Powell does not slash rates soon. 'Jerome 'Too Late' Powell, a stubborn MORON, must substantially lower interest rates, NOW. IF HE CONTINUES TO REFUSE, THE BOARD SHOULD ASSUME CONTROL, AND DO WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS HAS TO BE DONE!' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Friday morning. Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman had voted against Powell's 'wait and see' approach — marking the first time in three decades when more than one governor on the 12-member board has dissented on an interest-rate vote. Both officials on Friday warned of risks to the economy as they called for an immediate quarter-percentage-point reduction, arguing that Trump's tariffs will likely only have a brief impact on inflation. 'I see the risk that a delay in taking action could result in a deterioration in the labor market and a further slowing in economic growth,' said Bowman, who serves as the Fed's vice chair for bank supervision.
San Francisco Chronicle
36 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Hong Kong firm appeals for legal protection of investors as its Panama Ports contract faces lawsuits
HONG KONG (AP) — A subsidiary of a Hong Kong conglomerate entangled in U.S.-China tensions appealed on Friday for legal protection for businesses in Panama after the company's contract over its Panama Canal port assets has been faced with lawsuits in the Central American country. Respect for the rule of law is essential to assure businesses that Panama is a safe place to invest in, Panama Ports Company, under Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, said in a statement. Panama's Comptroller General filed two lawsuits on Wednesday, seeking to declare unconstitutional a contract that granted the operation of ports at both ends of the canal to the Hong Kong subsidiary, and to nullify its renewal four years ago, saying it was 'abusive' of Panama's interests. In turn, Panama Ports Company said its operations have had a positive impact, from building world-class ports to creating more than 25,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributing billions of balboas — Panama's currency — to the country's economy. It said it wants to work with the government in Panama for a better future. 'Regarding the ongoing legal actions, we firmly believe that respect for legal protection and the rule of law are essential in order to provide businesses and investors with the certainty that Panama is a safe country to invest in,' it said. The company operates the ports of Balboa, in the Pacific, and Cristobal, in the Atlantic, under a concession contract approved in 1997 and renewed in 2021 for 25 more years. CK Hutchison is controlled by the family of Li Ka-shing, the southern Chinese city's richest man. Panama's comptroller authority in April said that an audit of Panama Ports Company found irregularities in the renewal of the concession. But the company denied allegations that it had failed to pay about $1.2 billion to the Central American country. Panama President José Raúl Mulino said during his weekly news conference on Thursday that he fully supported the comptroller's case and would await the court's verdict. 'We have all seen what that contract has costed the Panamanian nation over time,' Mulino said without elaborating. He alluded to some sort of public-private partnership for the ports, saying there was a lot of interest from private companies, but that it was in the early stages and provided no details. CK Hutchison Holdings' initial plan, announced in March, to sell its port assets in dozens of countries to a group that includes the U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc., also got caught up in tensions between Beijing and Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged that China interferes with the canal, initially welcomed that plan. However, it apparently angered Beijing and drew a review by Chinese anti-monopoly authorities. After months of uncertainty, Hutchison said on Monday that it may seek a Chinese investor to join a consortium of buyers, which also includes BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, a subsidiary of the Mediterranean Shipping Company. The initial deal, valued at nearly $23 billion, including $5 billion in debt, would have given the consortium control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the two at the Panama Canal. Panama Ports Company said Friday it would communicate with the Panamanian government 'at the appropriate time,' affirming that it believes engaging with the government 'is vital to discuss the way forward for' the company.
