The Belgian authorities are sending summons to asylum seekers to appear before immigration services with the aim of "completing" their international protection application. However, when the migrants present themselves, they are detained instead of being given the opportunity to complete their processes.
The Belgian asylum system is facing a significant crisis, with thousands of pending cases. Human rights organizations warn that this practice constitutes a violation of international and European law, since asylum seekers have the right to have their applications examined before any detention.
The affected migrants report that they present themselves voluntarily believing they would simply provide additional documents or clarifications. Detention frequently happens in reception centers or in the immigration services' own facilities, where they are surprised with detention orders.
The non-governmental organizations that follow these cases consider that the Belgian government is using these summons as a trap to arrest migrants in irregular situations, which goes against the fundamental principle that seeking asylum should not result in automatic detention.
