Hard-right Dutch government approves unprecedented package of measures to control migration

Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The hard-right Dutch government has announced tough measures aimed at reining in asylum requests. They include a re-introduction of border checks and make the Netherlands the latest European nation to take a hardline stance against migration. Among the measures that will be swiftly sent to parliament for approval are a move to restrict family members who can join a person who has been granted asylum in the Netherlands, cutting the length of temporary visas and declaring parts of civil war-ravaged Syria safe so that authorities can reject asylum applications from migrants from those regions. The announcement Friday comes a week after European Union leaders looked at ways to tackle migration and turn the 27-nation bloc into a Fortress Europe after years of striking a more welcoming tone.