Expanded border checks are about more than asylum, minister says

Asylum minister Van den Brink visited the Marechaussee at a checkpoint on the A67 near Venlo to see how the expanded border checks, introduced at the start of this month, are working in practice. He said the checks cover much more than asylum.

The new checks replace the temporary internal border checks that then-minister Faber introduced at the end of 2024. The Marechaussee's existing MTV checks (mobile security supervision) have been expanded.

The cabinet now says the checks target crime in general. Faber's checks were mainly meant to reduce the number of asylum applications. People who want to apply for asylum always have the right to do so.

Van den Brink said he never named asylum as the direct reason for border checks. "A border simply needs control. We must keep sight of smuggling networks and all kinds of other criminal activity," he said.

Marechaussee captain Doron Wallin said the checks are now more flexible and less predictable, which makes it harder for criminals to avoid them. "Before, we had to keep to set times and set checkpoints, and could only stand in one or two places in an area during a set time," he said.