Belgium summons undocumented migrants to regularize them, then detains them

The appointment that ended in a raid: Belgium slips a deportation into a regularization notice

The word "regularization" no longer means the same thing in Belgium. The Immigration Office (Office des Étrangers) invited undocumented migrants to regularize their status and, when they showed up, detained them and began processing their removal. The move, which Segarro media describe as an illegal and unprecedented ambush, has turned a bureaucratic procedure into a police operation.

According to reports circulating, the notice offered a special procedure for submitting applications. Dozens of people of different nationalities turned up at the Brussels offices. Upon arrival, the door was closed and security staff began processing them for deportation. There are no official figures, but local media accounts point to a coordinated operation.

A trick with supporters and critics

Reactions were not long in coming. One line of analysis applauds the measure as an example of administrative efficiency: it costs little, avoids lengthy court proceedings and catches those who voluntarily identify themselves. Others, however, see it as a deception that erodes trust in institutions. And there is a third group looking toward Spain: those who escaped removal in Belgium, they warn, may end up in the Iberian Peninsula.

The element of surprise will not be repeated. The next regularization call will carry a "trap" sign and no one will show up. But the underlying question remains: how much institutional damage is a state willing to accept to save itself some paperwork? For now, Belgium has won the round. The question is whether the victory is worth the price.