Those without papers dare not ask for help. That is the price of the lingering asylum debate.
For yearsThe Hague has been hammering on a stricter asylum policy. The law to make illegality punishable was defeated in the Senate. Yet concerns among undocumented people have not disappeared. On the contrary: we see that the fear of seeking help is growing.
No one knows exactly how many undocumented people there are in the Netherlands. Estimates range from twenty-three to sixty-five thousand people. Amsterdam alone is said to have tens of thousands of undocumented Brazilians. "Undocumented people live under the radar," says Frederiek de Vlaming, long-term undocumented project leader at De Regenboog Groep and a former teacher of international law. "That is precisely why they are hard to count." That invisibility comes at a price. Because those without papers often do not dare to ask for help. Especially now that the political debate about asylum and migration is getting tougher.
"People see the discussions on social media, hear about criminalization and feel that organizations that help them are under pressure. That makes them anxious."
Although the much-discussed Asylum Emergency Measures Act, which included the criminalization of undocumented people, ultimately failed to pass in the Senate, the unrest among this group of people has not gone away. The political discussion alone has an effect. Frederiek: "People get all that. They see the discussions on social media, hear about criminalization and feel that organizations that help them are under pressure. That makes people really anxious. That fear has direct consequences. People postpone medical care, don't dare report any more and disappear further and further out of the picture. Those are our biggest concerns. Even though people need a doctor so badly, they are less likely to go there. Or they no longer dare to report human trafficking, exploitation, abuse or robbery. Even though they have a right to do so." According to Frederiek, this affects not only the people themselves, but also society as a whole. "If people only seek help when things really go wrong, problems become bigger, more serious and ultimately more expensive."
"These are people who have sometimes worked here for thirty years."
At De Regenboog Groep, the growing vulnerability among the undocumented group is visible daily in the walk-in centres scattered across the city. These are people who have often lived and worked here for decades. Where originally we provided mainly temporary shelter, there is now a growing demand for sustainable places to live for undocumented elderly people. "You can't keep sending people over 60 who get sick or demented around from place to place," Frederiek says. "Many of them still live with friends or family now, but that network gets overloaded." That's why we are exploring new forms of permanent housing, such as a residential courtyard for undocumented elderly people. A complicated task, Frederiek acknowledges, especially in times of housing shortage and a political climate in which giving undocumented people a cup of soup is already under discussion. "But it is necessary. These are people who have sometimes worked here for 30 years."
"As long as there is work here and conditions remain hopeless elsewhere, people will keep coming. Harder policies alone will not change that."
The Senate did vote in favor of the dual status law that will differentiate between refugees. And in mid-June, the European migration pact will enter into force, which should speed up procedures and give countries more opportunities to detain people during their asylum procedure. According to Frederiek, there is a risk that people will stop seeking asylum altogether as a result. "Presumably, many will think: never mind, I'll disappear under the radar. And that means the number of undocumented people in society could actually grow." So whether stricter rules actually lead to less migration? Frederiek: "As long as there is work here and conditions remain hopeless elsewhere, people will keep coming. Tougher policies alone will not change that."
Frederiek also calls the discussion about criminalizing people without residence permits primarily symbolic politics, but the impact of the discussion itself is very great, according to her. "It creates uncertainty and distrust. People feel unwanted and withdraw. While precisely contact, care and support prevent problems from escalating."
For De Regenboog Groep, therefore, the focus remains: no person should disappear from sight because they have become afraid to seek help. We will always fight for that. No human being is illegal.
Text: Nicolline van der Spek | Photography: Merlin Michon