Fewer Moroccans were deported from the Netherlands in the latter half of 2024 compared to the first six months, according to recent data from the Dutch Repatriation and Departure Service (DTenV). The figures reveal that Dutch authorities deported 50 Moroccans in the last six months of 2024, a significant drop from the 120 deported in the first half of the year. This decrease is largely attributed to the new Dutch administration. While the previous government was responsible for deporting a total of 440 individuals, the new coalition consisting of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB, which took office on July 2, oversaw the forced return of only 360 foreigners in the second half of 2024. A spokesperson for the Minister of Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber, cited «a multitude of factors» for the decline. These include «the availability of personnel, detention facilities, and whether the foreign national is definitively deportable or has initiated a new procedure that may delay deportation.» The spokesperson also pointed out that the higher deportation figures in the first half of 2024 might be linked to the previous administration's improved cooperation with Morocco. This cooperation led to an increase in deportations to Morocco in 2023 after a period of minimal returns. Revijara Oosterhuis, coordinator of the Immigration Detention Hotline at the National Undocumented People's Support Center Foundation, suggested that Morocco might be «unhappy» with the new cabinet. However, Faber's spokesperson emphasized that «return cooperation with Moroccan authorities» remained «consistently strong» in the latter half of 2024. In contrast, the second half of 2024 saw a sharp increase in the deportation of Algerians, with 90 individuals returned compared to just 30 in the first half. This rise was attributed to «the good cooperation of Algeria», according to the minister's spokesperson.
