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.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

“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.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

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

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.