Belgium Panel Backs Home Searches for Undocumented

A Belgian parliamentary committee on Wednesday approved a controversial bill that would allow police, working with the Immigration Office, to enter the homes of undocumented people deemed a threat to public order or national security. The measure, championed by Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA), now heads to a full plenary vote in the Chamber of Representatives.

According to VRT NWS, the bill would permit officers to enter a residence between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. to administratively arrest a person without legal residence who structurally refuses to cooperate with removal and poses a danger to public order or national security. Each entry would require the prior authorisation of an investigating judge.

Van Bossuyt described the committee vote as a “historic breakthrough” and called the legislation “the capstone of a resolute but humane return policy.” She rejected characterizations of the measure as a dragnet.

“This is not a witch hunt against people who have international protection or who are merely illegally in the country,” she said. “The law contains clear conditions, and a home entry can only happen with the authorisation of an investigating judge.”

Safeguards and Scope

The bill was introduced jointly by Van Bossuyt and Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). Under its terms, the investigating judge would set the conditions and modalities for each entry - for example, requiring that it take place during school hours when children are present, or that a psychologist attend. Van Bossuyt also filed an amendment extending the judge’s decision window from five to seven days.

“The investigating judge will absolutely not be a rubber stamp,” she insisted, adding that judges would have access to the full case file.

The measure’s scope has drawn intense scrutiny. Both opposition parties and law-enforcement professionals - including the federal police, investigating judges, and lawyers - argue that the phrase “a danger to public order or national security” is insufficiently defined. Van Bossuyt countered that the Council of State explicitly advised against defining the term, since its meaning can evolve over time.

Deep Resistance

Opposition to the bill is broad and extends well beyond parliament. In a BRUZZ report, a cross-party majority in the Brussels parliament passed a resolution opposing the law.

“The inviolability of the home is not an administrative detail, but a pillar of our democracy,” said Farida Tahar (Ecolo), who authored the resolution. She highlighted the impact on children present during a search and on neighbours who shelter someone out of solidarity.

Prominent figures defended the measure sharply. “We are talking about people who betrayed the values of our society, who chose to break the social contract,” said Aline Godfrin (MR). Brussels MP Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) stressed the narrow targeting: “It is not about everyone without papers in Brussels; this law concerns a small group of people.”

At the local level, several municipalities have signalled refusal. Leuven and a majority of Brussels communes have passed motions against home entries, as BRUZZ reported in June. Van Bossuyt warned such authorities of the consequences.

“Realise what that choice means,” she said. “If you refuse to enforce this law and things go wrong, do not later point to the federal level. Because then you endanger the safety of your own residents.”

Critics have questioned the law’s necessity. The rights group Cire called home visits “a violation of a fundamental right,” as Belgique Fois / Le Vif reported, arguing that existing legal tools already allow the arrest of dangerous individuals. Supporters counter that removals are failing: of 2,052 people for whom the Immigration Office requested an address check last year, only 120 could be located. Belgium is estimated to host some 112,000 undocumented people.

Coalition Fault Lines

The vote exposed tensions inside the governing “Arizona” coalition. The centrist party Les Engages did not obtain all the amendments it sought; MP Xavier Dubois skipped the second reading, though group leader Aurore Tourneur defended the requested changes in committee. The majority passed the bill with support from the liberal opposition party Anders, while the left (Ecolo-Groen, PVDA, PS) voted against and the far-right Vlaams Belang abstained.

Vlaams Belang MP Francesca Van Belleghem dismissed the law as “so watered down by coalition negotiations that it will barely have any effect in practice.”

What’s Next

The bill still requires approval in a plenary session of the Chamber, with final adoption expected this autumn. The Brussels resolution changes nothing on the federal track. Yet the deeper test lies in implementation: police and investigating judges who must execute the law remain critical of its clarity, and several local governments have vowed resistance.

Analysts say the outcome may hinge less on the text itself than on whether courts and municipalities cooperate. As the measure nears final passage, Belgium faces a widening gulf between a federal government determined to tighten return policy and local authorities questioning both its necessity and its legality.