Sertan Sanderson

In the Netherlands, the Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) has approved the national rollout of the European Migration Pact, with lawmakers voting in favor of some of the strictest asylum measures allowed under the new framework. The changes, including shorter temporary residence permits and tighter family reunification rules, are expected to take effect on June 12. Other EU nations meanwhile are also preparing to be ready for the new system by mid-June.

Video footage has emerged in the Netherlands, showing police throwing a female asylum seeker to the ground and using force to contain a man, who was trying to come to her aid. The man is believed to be the woman's husband. The event reportedly took place at an asylum center in Zeist, near Utrecht, on May 19, 2026.

According to a recent study, Spain was found to be able to retain less than half of all foreigners making their way there. The average age of immigrants to the country was also found to be older than in the rest of Europe. The research suggests that liberal immigration policies alone cannot address Spain's demographic challenges, and that it might even make matters worse.

Germany's complex public healthcare system is difficult for many outsiders to understand and competently access. Migrants and asylum seeker appear to suffer in particular to get the care they need. A new study found that many immigrants find it difficult to navigate the German healthcare system to find the right medical care they need.

The Mauritanian coast guard said that it saved 110 migrants after the engine of their rickety boat broke down. Among those rescued were 12 women and three children. The boat had reportedly set off from The Gambia, presumably heading for Spain's Canary Islands.

The European Commission has said that there isn't sufficient justification for a blanket extension of German border controls. Since mid-2024, Germany has beefed up checks and controls along its borders, citing extraordinary security concerns. However, such measures defy the EU principle of free movement of people and goods as applied within the Schengen Area, which Germany is part of.

Italian police have detained two Pakistani nationals for the murder of four migrant farm workers who were found dead in a burnt-out vehicle in Calabria in an apparently deliberate attack. An eyewitness survivor appears to be corroborating emerging evidence against the two suspects. The case has shocked Italy over the past 24 hours.

Authorities in Turkey have discovered 30 irregular migrants hiding inside a tanker on the back of a truck near the Iranian border. The event reportedly took place in the southeast of the country.

The United Kingdom and France have extended a pilot scheme to combat irregular migration known as the "one-in, one-out" deal. The program will continue to be tested until the start of October for the time being. France meanwhile wants the EU to get more involved in addressing the irregular crossings of the English Channel.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) headquarters in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Thursday, protesting irregular migrants and refugees in the country. Many expressed that they want the facility to close, following rumors alleging that migrant would be settled permanently in Libya.