Assita Kanko: “Europe must build a wall”

Our country is groaning under a new asylum crisis. We are the drain of the European pool. The situation in the Paleizenstraat, where hundreds of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants are crammed together, is becoming more dire by the day. “We must tackle the problem at its source. Europe must build a fence, bring the asylum procedure beyond European borders and take decisions together,” says MEP Assita Kanko.

Assita Kanko went on the De Zevende Dag television programme to debate with State Secretary for Asylum and Migration de Moor. But she mainly points to her predecessor, Sammy Mahdi. “She has inherited a mess from Mahdi.”

EU doing nothing

As an MEP, Assita Kanko mainly looks at the European context. “The EU is doing nothing. We must tackle the problem at its source. That is why Europe must build a common fence, a wall, so to speak. 13 out of 27 Member States agree, including the Netherlands.”

It is not improving

Secondly, we must externalise the asylum procedure, i.e. take it outside European borders. That was proposed by the Danish. And thirdly, we must work together to ensure that decisions are taken. I have been an MEP for 2.5 years now. I haven’t seen any decisions yet. It is not improving.”

No solidarity without prosperity

“Of course, we must help refugees, but at the same time, we must protect our own society and maintain our welfare state. Without that, we cannot offer solidarity.”