Belgium's State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor announced on Tuesday evening that the country would temporarily stop providing single men who are applying for asylum in Belgium with shelter in the network of Fedasil, the agency responsible for the reception of asylum seekers – despite it being a legal entitlement.
The decision has been widely condemned by lawyers, NGOs and politicians, who said that it will likely leave thousands more without a roof over their heads roaming the streets of Brussels, as reported by my colleague Lauren Walker.
In practice, this has been happening on and off since October 2021, when access to shelter for asylum-seeking single men was restricted to give priority to unaccompanied minors and families with children. As NGOs stressed this was the result of a lack of political will, the decision left thousands without shelter and sleeping in the streets.
For its failure to provide shelter, the Belgian State has been convicted by Brussels, Belgian and European courts on numerous counts – all of which were ignored by the Federal Government.
“But this latest decision is just totally illegal, on a national, international and EU level. The problem is that, at this point, we are completely beyond legality in Belgium," Marie Doutrepont, a lawyer at Progressive Lawyers Network, told The Brussels Times. "We now have a minister announcing through the media that she will not respect the law for an undefined period of time. This is completely unseen."
De Moor argued that the decision was made to reserve all available places for families with children, as she is "anticipating the rising influx of families and children" and wants to "absolutely avoid children ending up on the streets in winter."
Lawyers, NGOs and politicians, however, have stressed that this decision will not deter refugees, including single men, from coming to Belgium – meaning it will likely result in hundreds of additional people having to sleep rough.
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