Belgium: police will be able to arrest undocumented migrants at home
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Observ'Algérie
Belgium adopted on 6 November 2026 a law allowing the police to arrest foreigners without residence permits at their homes.
Belgium's Chamber of Representatives adopted on Friday 6 November 2026 a bill allowing the police to enter private homes to arrest certain foreigners without residence permits. The vote took place shortly after 5 a.m., after about ten hours of debate, Observ'Algérie reports.
The text, brought forward by the Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt, received the support of the parties of the Arizona government coalition and of the Anders party. The Socialist Party, the PTB, Ecolo-Groen and DéFI voted against, while Vlaams Belang abstained.
The measure concerns foreigners subject to an order to leave the territory who refuse to cooperate with their removal and for whom there are reasonable grounds to believe they pose a threat to public order or national security. Home visits may take place between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., subject to prior authorisation from an investigating judge, and the Immigration Office may request police assistance with a view to the arrest.
Police officers may also enter the home of a third party hosting the person sought, call on a locksmith to gain access to the premises and seize the documents needed to identify the foreigner. Minister Van Bossuyt defended a measure intended, she said, to fill a legal gap in the enforcement of removal decisions.
