International
The Netherlands plans to reintroduce border controls in November to curb migration
The Dutch Government agreed on Friday on a package of “emergency measures” to “relieve the pressure” on the asylum system, by which it plans to reintroduce border controls from the end of November to return to Germany and Belgium irregular migrants and refugees who have requested asylum in another European country.
The Dutch cabinet, a four-party coalition that includes the radical right of Geert Wilders, considers that the Netherlands is “in an asylum crisis” and the current regime is “unsustainable,” which makes it “necessary to act immediately with a package of measures to relieve and reduce the pressure on the asylum system.”
“From the end of November, border controls will be carried out based on article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code.
Irregular migrants, including asylum seekers who have already applied for asylum in other European countries, will be returned to Germany and Belgium,” the government said in a letter to Parliament.
The Executive will present “as soon as possible” a new rule, the “Law of Emergency Measures for Asylum,” and its entry into force “will be immediately after its publication” in the Official Gazette.
“The accommodation capacity is overwhelmed, requests cannot be processed on time, generating long waiting lists, and some of the applicants cause great inconvenience. People entitled to protection cannot advance in the process, and some asylum seekers who do not have the right to stay do not leave the country,” the cabinet argued.
Temporary asylum
The government will eliminate the indefinite residence permit for refugees and reduce the duration of the temporary leave to three years, instead of five, “thus generating awareness that it is temporary,” said Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who promised that “entries will decrease and exits will increase,” since the possibility of regrouping adult children or an unmarried couple will also be ended.
Likewise, next year, it will enable 50 to 100 additional cells for “the detention of foreigners,” which will be “intended for asylum seekers who have exhausted their process or are in an illegal situation, to be deported to their country of origin.”
Syria, key
The asylum policy for Syria, a country at war since 2011, will “be significantly tightened,” warned the cabinet, which will temporarily limit the refugees that the Netherlands will receive as part of the resettlement agreements under the UN framework to a maximum of 200.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will publish a report before the end of the year identifying “safe areas” in Syria, and asylum seekers from those areas will no longer be eligible for asylum and must return to the Arab country, while the possibility of revoking the residence permit of refugees already legally settled is evaluated.
Wilders’ PVV and the Christian Democratic party NSC, the two partners with the most differences within the coalition, have agreed on these measures in meetings they have held in recent weeks, and on Wednesday they have been joined by the other two partners, the liberals of the VVD and the party of farmers BBB, who have given their approval to the agreed package of measures.
Wilders has had to renounce the application of a controversial national emergency law, with which he intended to suspend part of the Aliens Law and jump to Parliament to apply a heavy hand with refugees, but even so, he now hopes that these “extreme” measures will please his electorate, to whom he has promised “the strictest asylum regime in history” in the Netherlands.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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