NOS News•today, 5:13 PM
Dordrecht has started deporting so-called third-country nationals from the shelter for Ukrainians. According to the municipality, 90 people left the reception location “of their own accord”. If they do not do so, police force will follow.
It is not known where these third-country nationals went. The government wants them to return to their country of origin to wait for the end of the war.
Third-country nationals are people who fled the war from Ukraine and lived there, but do not have Ukrainian nationality. In the Netherlands it is a group of about 2,500 people. Until now, they had the same rights as Ukrainian refugees, but their right to shelter expires today.
Dozens of lawsuits
Dozens of third-country nationals have challenged their deportation in court. Some courts ruled that the refugees must indeed leave the shelter, but according to other courts they can stay for as long as Ukrainian refugees.
Due to this lack of clarity, a number of Dutch municipalities decided to wait for a letter from State Secretary for Asylum Eric van der Burg before deporting. That letter is expected later today.
Municipalities are not obliged to wait for the letter and that is why Dordrecht, Zwijndrecht and Meppel have already started deporting third-country nationals. In Zwijndrecht this concerns six people and in Meppel one person.
