Dutch Migration and Foreign Affairs Minister David van Weel has told the Financial Times that his government will send dozens of migrants, whose asylum requests have been denied, to Uganda.
The Dutch government is preparing to send dozens of rejected asylum seekers to Uganda as part of an agreement that resembles a similar arrangement secured by US President Donald Trump with the African country in August, to take in rejected asylum seekers from the US, despite concerns over the plan's potential legal and logistical obstacles, the Financial Times reported on October 21.
Dutch Migration and Foreign Affairs Minister David van Weel told the financial daily that a "transit hub" in Uganda, where people would be deported could start operating as early as next year.
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Cooperation with IOM, UNHCR requested for centers on the ground
Van Weel told the Financial Times that the accord was "in compliance with international law, with European law, with our national laws."
He added, "but of course this will be appealed in the beginning and then we'll see whether or not that holds up."
The minister stressed that human rights were a "central component to the agreement" reached last month with Kampala, adding that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had been requested to "manage the centers on the ground," according to the financial daily.
The accord is similar to an arrangement forged by US President Donald Trump with Uganda in August, to take in rejected asylum seekers from the United States.
However, Washington is not seeking cooperation with a UN agency in its deportation plans.
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Project mainly aimed at migrants from countries around Uganda
Uganda's foreign ministry at the time stated that it would prefer to take in people from African countries, with the exclusion of individuals with criminal records or unaccompanied minors.
Van Weel told the Financial Times the pilot project would mainly involve people from the region, including "a large chunk of the countries surrounding Uganda."
The minister also claimed that too many people stay in the Netherlands after their asylum requests have been denied and that the program is aimed at both solving such cases and acting as a deterrent.
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