Amsterdam
The Netherlands is granting amnesty to some 30,000 illegal immigrants. Anyone who applied for and failed to get asylum before 2001 will now get a permanent residence permit. The amnesty, enacted by a new legislature voted into office last fall, is a reversal of the previous government’s stridently anti-immigrant policy. Most immigrants to the Netherlands are Muslim, and immigration has been a hot issue because of the murders of two campaigners against Islamic extremism, politician Pim Fortuyn and filmmaker Theo van Gogh. But when the previous immigration minister ordered the deportation of thousands of asylum seekers, including children, most Dutch believed that was going too far.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why Spain's economy is boomingThe Explainer Immigration, tourism and cheap energy driving best growth figures in Europe
-
5 trips where the journey is the best partThe Week Recommends Slow down and enjoy the ride
-
5 tax deductions to know if you are self-employedThe explainer You may be able to claim home office, health insurance and other tax deductions
