The family units in the detention center in Stenokkerzee may be taken up by migrant families with children from July, reported Belgian media on Tuesday. Theo Francken, state secretary for asylum policy and migration (N-VA), is reported to have obtained the agreement of the Prime Minister and the main ministers of the federal government concerning a draft royal decree on closed centers or "units (or housing) for families".
For several months, civil society associations have opposed the establishment of a closed center for families with children who refuse to voluntarily leave the country.
The family units will be located near the detention center in Stenokkerzeel, which hosts illegal migrants pending their deportation from Belgium.
Five units have been developed (three for six people and two for eight) for a cost of nearly € 2 million according to Sudpresse.
The royal decree stipulates that the duration of confinement of a family with minor children cannot exceed four weeks and that the deprivation of liberty is a last solution.
The draft law will first have to be presented for review by the Council of State.
The Brussels Times
