An ICE for Europe? The Belgian police will be able to enter homes to search for illegal immigrants

BrusselsBelgium hardens its anti-immigration stance. After ten hours of heated debate, the Belgian Parliament has approved a law that will allow the police to conduct raids on homes if they suspect undocumented immigrants may be living there. The controversial measure will require a court order and will only be applied in cases where immigrants have previously ignored a deportation order. The visits will be permitted between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., and the police officer will be able to request the assistance of a locksmith.

The text has received the support of the five groups in the chamber that make up the government majority, despite facing strong opposition that has led to protests in the country. Critics compare the law to the aggressive practices of the U.S. federal immigration control agency, known as ICE for its English acronym. Indeed, while the text was being approved, a group of activists waving a sign that read "No to the Belgian ICE" was expelled from the lower house.

In fact, several organizations in defense of human rights consider that entering private homes to enforce immigration laws could infringe upon constitutional rights and privacy laws. "This is an attack on human dignity. It is an attack on solidarity," laments Sotieta Ngo, director of Coordination and Initiatives for Refugees and Foreigners (CIRE), in statements collected by the newspaper Le Monde. On Wednesday evening, about 3,000 people formed a human chain around the Palace of Justice in Brussels to protest against the bill. And, according to Belgian media, more than 50 demonstrations and gatherings have been organized in towns and cities across the country.

Amid a government crisis

The measure has been driven by the Minister of Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, who picked up the gauntlet from her party colleague and predecessor, who in 2017 had already tried to pass a similar bill, but had met with strong opposition. "This comparison [with ICE] is completely misleading. This bill has nothing to do with it," the minister criticized.

The initiative is part of an attempt to limit immigration by the coalition of the Prime Minister, the Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever, who is immersed in the most serious government crisis since he came to power in February 2025. After the failure of budget negotiations with his government partners—a coalition made up of five parties—who could not agree on the cuts to contain the deficit, De Wever placed his position in the hands of the king. The monarch, however, rejected it this Friday and entrusted him to resume talks, with the commitment of the five partners to make concessions, and to present results to him again on November 16.