Belgian plan for ICE-style immigration raids on homes criticised as ‘law of fear’

Rights groups oppose new law that will let police forcibly enter homes to remove refused asylum seekers

Belgium could see ICE-style home raids that echo the US crackdown on immigration, rights campaigners have warned, after MPs approved a law that allows police to forcibly enter properties to remove undocumented people.

For months, intense debate has swirled across Belgium over measures introduced by the ruling right-leaning coalition to ramp up expulsions of people who have been denied the right to stay in the country.

In the run-up to the parliamentary vote last Friday, more than 60 protests were held across the country, adding to criticism voiced by NGOs, judges and lawyers’ associations over the measures.