"Sans-papiers in Belgie" (Financial Times)

gm10 · 5 september 2006, 09:52

fyi
niet meteen mijn favoriete krant maar een objectieve journalist schreef dit

Sit-ins by 'paperless' immigrants stir national debate in Belgium

By Sarah Laitner
Published: September 5 2006 03:00 | Last updated: September 5 2006 03:00

Guga clasps a pristine yellow residency card containing his photo alongside the Belgian coat of arms.
He waited more than three years in Belgium, thousands of miles from his family in Pakistan, before authorities approved his asylum claim.

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"Every day you were thinking that today the letter would come. I was disheartened," he says.
Guga lodged the application because he says fanatics had tried to kill him in Pakistan, in protest at his work as an activist for Christians' rights.
After gaining residency in 2003, he has begun to train as a plumber. But thousands of other foreigners work illegally in Belgium, often eking out a living in low-paid farming or cleaning jobs.
The European Union faces an army of undocumented migrants that has poured in searching for a new life.
In Belgium, the topic has become a national debate thanks to a group of 700 sans papiers occupying Catholic churches and a few mosques to protest at their shadow existence. Without documents they cannot legally work, although they are guaranteed emergency medical aid.
The protesters demand mass "regularisation" to give the estimated 50,000 undocumented entrants legal status and residence in this country of 10.3m.
They claim some have waited more than five years to learn if they can stay in Belgium, which has an immigrant population of 8 per cent.
Some demonstrators have held hunger strikes, and a Moroccan sparked horror in April by sewing his lips together to protest against his residency rejection.
A Cameroonian sans papier, who gives his name as Calvain, says by telephone from a church in Charleroi: "No law permits you to work. We are waiting to be dealt with. They should listen to the suffering in the streets."
Authorities failed to deport Calvain after his asylum claim was rejected in 2004. Instead he worked in the black economy, in a car wash and picking tomatoes, but he dreams of being a computer engineer.
In Belgium, the sans papiers come mostly from Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. They include workers whose visas have expired, people who entered illegally and those who have exhausted asylum appeals.
Up to 10,000 people have rallied in support of the sans papiers, who have the backing of trade unions and certain bishops. But the far-right, anti-immigrant Vlaams Belang party has seen support in northern Belgium rise.
The Belgians' overall response is ambiguous, says Marco Martiniello, of the centre for immigration studies at the University of Liège. "The sans papiers' argument is that they are in an intolerable situation and should be able to have a chance. From the public there is compassion and solidarity on the one hand, with a big fea0r of immigration on the other."
This matches a mood of public uncertainty across the EU as it grapples with a complex debate over its growing immigrant population. Sympathy towards illegal entrants runs alongside demands for tougher immigration controls.
Undocumented migrants, thought to comprise 3m people in the EU, trigger concerns about integration, strain on public services and depression of local wages.
Danny Sriskandarajah, of the London-based Institute for Public Policy Research, says: "A cynic would conclude that Europe generally does well out of these people, who take work that most locals do not want. But another view is that governments do not want to do anything about them, because it is too politically risky to hold an amnesty for immigrants when their presence often triggers an emotional response from the public."
France has stepped up expulsion of illegal immigrants, aiming to deport 25,000 this year, while Italy plans to offer legal status to the 350,000 non-Europeans working there without permission.
As unemployment rose in the 1970s, Belgium - like other EU countries - clamped down on legal immigration for non-Europeans.
This pushed foreign workers towards clandestine entry or asylum applications.
In response to the surging number of shadow workers outside the tax system, the country held an amnesty in 2000 for more than 50,000 illegal immigrants.
Even so, Patrick Dewael, interior minister in the liberal-socialist government, has ruled out another, vowing not to be "blackmailed" by the sans papiers.
Requests for "regularisation" will be considered on an individual basis, while a new law should speed consideration of asylum applications.
Guga, who does not wish his surname to be useddue to concerns over the security of his family in Pakistan, considers himself lucky.
He was given legal support in his asylum quest by a Christian network which pursued the authorities when they lost his file for two years.
Without this assistance, he fears he might still be waiting to discover his fate.

5 september 2006, 09:52	#1
gm10 Eur. Commissievoorzitter Geregistreerd: 13 januari 2004 Locatie: London Berichten: 8.988	"Sans-papiers in Belgie" (Financial Times) fyi niet meteen mijn favoriete krant maar een objectieve journalist schreef dit Sit-ins by 'paperless' immigrants stir national debate in Belgium By Sarah Laitner Published: September 5 2006 03:00 \| Last updated: September 5 2006 03:00 Guga clasps a pristine yellow residency card containing his photo alongside the Belgian coat of arms. He waited more than three years in Belgium, thousands of miles from his family in Pakistan, before authorities approved his asylum claim. ADVERTISEMENT "Every day you were thinking that today the letter would come. I was disheartened," he says. Guga lodged the application because he says fanatics had tried to kill him in Pakistan, in protest at his work as an activist for Christians' rights. After gaining residency in 2003, he has begun to train as a plumber. But thousands of other foreigners work illegally in Belgium, often eking out a living in low-paid farming or cleaning jobs. The European Union faces an army of undocumented migrants that has poured in searching for a new life. In Belgium, the topic has become a national debate thanks to a group of 700 sans papiers occupying Catholic churches and a few mosques to protest at their shadow existence. Without documents they cannot legally work, although they are guaranteed emergency medical aid. The protesters demand mass "regularisation" to give the estimated 50,000 undocumented entrants legal status and residence in this country of 10.3m. They claim some have waited more than five years to learn if they can stay in Belgium, which has an immigrant population of 8 per cent. Some demonstrators have held hunger strikes, and a Moroccan sparked horror in April by sewing his lips together to protest against his residency rejection. A Cameroonian sans papier, who gives his name as Calvain, says by telephone from a church in Charleroi: "No law permits you to work. We are waiting to be dealt with. They should listen to the suffering in the streets." Authorities failed to deport Calvain after his asylum claim was rejected in 2004. Instead he worked in the black economy, in a car wash and picking tomatoes, but he dreams of being a computer engineer. In Belgium, the sans papiers come mostly from Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. They include workers whose visas have expired, people who entered illegally and those who have exhausted asylum appeals. Up to 10,000 people have rallied in support of the sans papiers, who have the backing of trade unions and certain bishops. But the far-right, anti-immigrant Vlaams Belang party has seen support in northern Belgium rise. The Belgians' overall response is ambiguous, says Marco Martiniello, of the centre for immigration studies at the University of Liège. "The sans papiers' argument is that they are in an intolerable situation and should be able to have a chance. From the public there is compassion and solidarity on the one hand, with a big fea0r of immigration on the other." This matches a mood of public uncertainty across the EU as it grapples with a complex debate over its growing immigrant population. Sympathy towards illegal entrants runs alongside demands for tougher immigration controls. Undocumented migrants, thought to comprise 3m people in the EU, trigger concerns about integration, strain on public services and depression of local wages. Danny Sriskandarajah, of the London-based Institute for Public Policy Research, says: "A cynic would conclude that Europe generally does well out of these people, who take work that most locals do not want. But another view is that governments do not want to do anything about them, because it is too politically risky to hold an amnesty for immigrants when their presence often triggers an emotional response from the public." France has stepped up expulsion of illegal immigrants, aiming to deport 25,000 this year, while Italy plans to offer legal status to the 350,000 non-Europeans working there without permission. As unemployment rose in the 1970s, Belgium - like other EU countries - clamped down on legal immigration for non-Europeans. This pushed foreign workers towards clandestine entry or asylum applications. In response to the surging number of shadow workers outside the tax system, the country held an amnesty in 2000 for more than 50,000 illegal immigrants. Even so, Patrick Dewael, interior minister in the liberal-socialist government, has ruled out another, vowing not to be "blackmailed" by the sans papiers. Requests for "regularisation" will be considered on an individual basis, while a new law should speed consideration of asylum applications. Guga, who does not wish his surname to be useddue to concerns over the security of his family in Pakistan, considers himself lucky. He was given legal support in his asylum quest by a Christian network which pursued the authorities when they lost his file for two years. Without this assistance, he fears he might still be waiting to discover his fate. __________________ Toen de Antwerpenaar Hendrik Conscience in de negentiende eeuw zijn beklag maakte over ‘vreemdelingen’, bedoelde hij daarmee West-Vlaanderen.