Home Secretary Suella Braverman
It’s not xenophobic to say that mass and rapid migration is unsustainable.
I voted and campaigned for Brexit because I wanted Britain to control migration.
So that we all have a say on what works for our country. High-skilled workers support economic growth. Fact.
But we need to get overall immigration numbers down. And we mustn’t forget how to do things for ourselves.
There is no good reason why we can’t train up enough HGV drivers, butchers or fruit pickers.
Brexit enables us to build a high-skilled, high wage economy that is less dependent on low-skilled foreign labour. That was our 2019 manifesto pledge and what we must deliver.
State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) does not believe that the Netherlands can take in any more asylum seekers than it already does.
With the reception of 100,000 Ukrainians in combination with the reception of 70,000 asylum seekers, you see that things are squeaking and creaking in the Netherlands. Then we should not opt for the reception of even more people. We really have to ensure that we get migration under control and a better distribution across the European Union.
Gillian Triggs, the second-highest boss of the UN refugee organization UNHCR
She believes the Netherlands, as a rich country, should pursue a generous asylum and migration policy and do more against racist ideas that undermine good support for reception.
According to Triggs, rich countries like the Netherlands play a smaller role in helping refugees than many poorer countries such as Egypt. And that while they are capable of actually housing more people, contributing more to living conditions in countries of origin, and making it easier to legally migrate for work, study, or family.
She pointed out that this could also help reduce labor shortages.
A generous asylum and migration policy “is possible,” Triggs said. “Perhaps the war in Ukraine, tragic and terrible as it is, has shown that Europe is capable of this.” She pointed out that 8.2 million Ukrainians have been hosted in Europe since the Russian invasion.
As welcome as refugees from Ukraine were in Europe, refugees from countries like Sudan and Ethiopia are not, and they need help just as much.
According to Triggs, the UNHCR is “concerned that there is a racial element here,” fueled by the erroneous claim that refugees are to blame for housing shortages.
More border security, stricter immigration rules, and austere reception are not helping, Triggs said.
https://nltimes.nl/2023/05/12/netherlands-take-asylum-seekers-un-refugee-boss-says-cabinet-responds