The Belgian Government has yet to reach a decision on whether families with children will be placed in return centres, Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt said on Wednesday.
Speaking on Radio 1's De Ochtend, Van Bossuyt refrained from sharing her personal stance on the issue but questioned whether an undocumented life is a sustainable future for such families.
In March, the European Parliament approved negotiations with EU Member States to create return centres in non-EU countries for rejected asylum seekers. The decision came following a controversial vote largely supported by right-wing and far-right parties.
Discussions within the Belgian Government on using these return centres are ongoing, Van Bossuyt confirmed. Among Belgian representatives in the European Parliament, only the N-VA and Vlaams Belang supported the proposal. Other coalition parties, including MR, Les Engagés, and Vooruit, opposed it, while CD&V abstained.
Although Van Bossuyt stopped short of explicitly endorsing return centres, she highlighted a concerning trend: 80% of rejected asylum seekers remain in Belgium. Calling this situation "unacceptable", she questioned whether remaining was a viable future for families with children who have no legal residency status.
