The Dutch government has announced that it will proceed with its plan to send rejected asylum seekers to Uganda. This initiative, developed by Reinette Klever, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Aid, and Marjolein Faber, Minister of Asylum and Migration, stipulates that rejected asylum seekers will be sent to Uganda only after they have exhausted all legal remedies and are either unwilling or unable to return to their country of origin.
According to the plan advocated by the ruling Freedom Party, asylum seekers will stay in centers in Uganda until they can be returned to their country of origin. This Dutch plan is controversial because it clearly violates European regulations that prohibit sending asylum seekers to a third country without their consent, as well as the strict nature of Ugandan laws.
According to the NOS media network, the Dutch government has defended its deportation plan to Uganda, calling it innovative. The government asserts that the plan aligns with the European Convention on Human Rights and applicable legislation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “Without an effective return policy, some rejected asylum seekers opt to remain illegally.”
The ministry also emphasized the importance of preventing failed asylum seekers from disappearing from view. It urged the government to make the Netherlands a less attractive destination for asylum seekers from safe countries.
The Dutch plan was initially announced in October 2024 during Klever’s visit to Uganda. At that time, the Ugandan foreign minister noted that the plan was not a topic of discussion during the visit; instead, the conversation focused on how to assist Uganda with the asylum seekers already in the country.
Klever confirmed that officials from both countries had engaged in extensive discussions about the plan. She stated, “In recent months, the Special Envoy for Migration traveled to Uganda to discuss the details of the idea.” The minister noted that the discussions remain confidential for now.
The Dutch plan follows the failure of the United Kingdom’s initiative to deport asylum seekers to Uganda after the Labor Party came to power and rejected the plan, citing violations of human rights agreements and European asylum regulations. Several European countries had been considering deportation to Uganda as a means of curbing migrant inflows, but the idea faced strong criticism, particularly from human rights organizations and civil society groups advocating for refugees. Critics argued that the plan contradicts asylum laws and human rights agreements, in addition to concerns over Uganda’s difficult conditions. These organizations warned that, in practice, the policy would amount to detaining asylum seekers in internment camps in Uganda.
