The government will not re-examine the asylum applications of youngsters who have lived in the Netherlands for more than eight years if they have family with them, immigration minister Gerd Leers told parliament on Tuesday evening.

However, the minister said he is prepared to look again at the applications made by children who arrived in the Netherlands as unaccompanied minors more than eight years ago to see if ‘local interests’ hold sway.
By this, Leers means how rooted the children are in the communities they live in.
Deportation

Opposition MPs have been urging the government to reconsider the situation of several hundred children who have lived in the Netherlands for more than eight years and now face deportation with or without their parents.
Matters came to a head last year when Leers refused to give a residency permit to 18-year-old Angolan youth Manuel Mauro, who has lived in the Netherlands with the same foster family since he was nine.
Leers says he is worried that a general amnesty for young refugees will encourage more to come to the Netherlands.
It is unclear how http://www.dutchnews.nl/mt3/mt-static/images/formatting-icons/italic.gifmany children are affected. Estimates range from several hundred to around 1,000.
MPs are due to vote on the issue on Thursday, the last day of parliament before the summer recess.
Is Leers right? Have your say using the comment form below.