The new hard-right Dutch coalition pledges stricter limits on asylum

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The new hard-right Dutch government pledged Tuesday to launch stricter policies to hold back or kick out migrants who don’t qualify for asylum, as the king laid out the administration’s plans in a speech to open the parliamentary year.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, a mostly ceremonial monarch, summarized the wide-ranging policy blueprint for the coming year and beyond a day after members of the hard right-led coalition publicly bickered over its plans to slash migration, underscoring divisions even within the four-party coalition over how to push through the reforms.

The speech was a formal expression of the country's sharp turn to the right after last year's election victory by the populist anti-immigration Party for Freedom led by Geert Wilders, which echoed a sentiment that is spreading across Europe.

Among a long list of policy priorities, the king — in a speech written by the government — said that “problems are particularly urgent in the asylum chain” and that the government will urgently do all in its power “to reduce the number of asylum applications.”

"Key words are faster, stricter and more frugal,” the king said as anti-immigration leader Geert Wilders and other lawmakers looked on.

The speech was surrounded by pageantry, patriotism and even a smattering of republicanism, as the royals were driven through The Hague in ornate horse-drawn carriages past cheering spectators and a small group of protesters seeking an end to the monarchy.

It also ushered in the first major test of a technocratic new government chosen by the right-wing parties that triumphed in last year's elections.

The speech also pledged to tackle issues like chronic housing shortages, a cost of living crisis and pollution caused by the country's huge agriculture sector, while also keeping government spending in check.

“Nobody will be forced to close their farm,” the king said as Caroline van der Plas, leader of the Farmer Citizen Movement that is part of the coalition government, nodded her approval.

On foreign policy, the king said the traditional Dutch open outlook on the world will not change.

“After all, cooperation within the European Union and NATO is our main guarantee of prosperity, stability and security. The decision to continue supporting Ukraine serves direct national interests, both military and economic,” he said.

On Monday, a senior member of a party in the coalition said she would oppose the government's plans to rein in immigration if a key political advisory panel rejects them.

The comments Monday by Nicolien van Vroonhoven of the New Social Contract party triggered angry reactions from Wilders ’s populist anti-immigration Party for Freedom, which won national elections last year, and the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy.

As if addressing the question head on, the speech said that government policy “will be logical, explicable and above all feasible. Naturally the government will stay within the bounds of the rule of law,” while also cautioning that plans could be limited by “spatial, environmental or financial constraints, or by personnel shortages.”

The spat underscored the fragility of a coalition that was pulled together after months of negotiations. Prime Minister Dick Schoof was eventually chosen to head a Cabinet made up of politicians and civil servants because the leaders did not want the outspoken Wilders as prime minister.

While the government seeks consensus on a deal to drastically dial back immigration, a town in the northern Netherlands opened a sports hall overnight to accommodate asylum seekers who otherwise would have been forced to sleep outdoors because of a shortage of space at a reception center.

The local mayor accused Marjolein Faber, the minister responsible for asylum seekers and migrants, of allowing an accommodation crisis to escalate.

“The minister is shunning her responsibility. She is responsible for people who come to the Netherlands for asylum. She has had enough time and sufficient opportunity to accommodate people in a decent way. She consciously does not do this,” Mayor Jaap Velema said in a statement Monday.

The government is planning to declare an “asylum crisis” to pave the way for tougher measures including reining in visas for family members of people granted asylum and making it easier and quicker to deport migrants who are not eligible for asylum.

The government also plans to apply for an opt-out from European Union migration rules and step up border check following similar moves implemented Monday by neighboring Germany. It remains unclear how many of the Dutch government's plans can be enforced.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, seated next to Queen Maxima, outlines the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Housing Minister Mona Keijzer, Social Affairs Minister Eddy van Hijum, Climate and Green Growth Minister Sophie Hermans, Health Minister Fleur Agema, Prime Minister Dick Schoof, from left to right, listen to Dutch King Willem-Alexander outlining the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, seated next to Queen Maxima, outlines the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Three women wait for Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to arrive, prior to the King outlining the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch police, foreground and background, monitor the crowd waiting for Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to arrive, prior to the King outlining the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, seated next to Queen Maxima, outlines the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders arrives for a ceremony where Dutch King Willem-Alexander outlines the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, seated next to Queen Maxima, outlines the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander outlines the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, seated next to Queen Maxima, outlines the new government's policy plans and budget for the coming year in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

View of the governments buildings under renovation and the skyline of the Hague, Netherlands, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Another athletics opponent of San Jose State has grappled with whether to play the school in volleyball.

The University of Nevada made it clear Monday that its Oct. 26 match against San Jose State would go on as scheduled after the team’s players released an independent statement a day prior saying they would forfeit.

“We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld,” the players’ statement read. “We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.”

Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Wyoming previously canceled matches this season against San Jose State, with none of the schools explicitly saying why they were forfeiting.

The Republican governors of Idaho, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the cancellations, citing a need for fairness in women’s sports.

Nevada’s athletic department cited state equality laws as the reason it couldn’t back out of its match, while acknowledging most of the players said they wouldn’t take the court.

The athletic department also stated the university is “governed by federal law as well as the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, which include providing competition in an inclusive and supportive environment.”

Nevada’s Republican lieutenant governor also supported a cancellation before the school corrected its course.

The athletic department said players will not be subject to disciplinary action if they refuse to participate in the match.

“The players’ decision and statement were made independently, and without consultation with the University or the athletic department,” Nevada athletics’ statement read. “The players’ decision also does not represent the position of the University.”

Nevada senior Sia Liilii told OutKick the team was upset with its athletic department.

“We decided that we’re going to stand in solidarity with other teams that have already forfeited and that we wouldn’t participate in a game that advances sex-based discrimination or injustice against female athletes,” Liilii told the website.

The cancellations could cause some teams to not qualify for the conference tournament Nov. 27-30 in Las Vegas.

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

San Jose State head coach Todd Kress, center back, talks to his players during a timeout during the first set of an NCAA college volleyball match against Colorado State, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

San Jose State players huddle before an NCAA college volleyball match against Colorado State, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)