Trouble repatriating illegal aliens 03/07/2007 00:00

3 July 2007

BRUSSELS – 11,728 illegal aliens left the country last year voluntarily or by force. The Immigration Service says that demonstrations for the legalisation of failed asylum seekers discourage those who have exhausted the procedure from leaving.

The police say that they found 28,747 illegal aliens last year: 7,285 left the country on regular flights, and 145 were removed on special charter flights.

These figures seem to indicate that only 25 percent of the illegal aliens that are caught by police actually leave the country, and that 75 percent simply stay on.

The director general of the Immigration Service, Freddy Roosemont, says that following up on "orders to leave the country" remains a difficulty area in policy.

"The fact that we have been dealing with ongoing campaigns for legalisation of these aliens since 2006 has not helped in efforts to repatriate these people."

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news