The Dutch parliament approved plans on Tuesday to expel up to 26,000 failed asylum seekers, a move that would be unprecedented in Europe and that has triggered large protests and threats of hunger strikes.
The plans, which still have to be endorsed by parliament's upper house, would force the failed applicants, many of whom have lived in the Netherlands for years, to leave over three years, while some 2,300 others would be granted amnesty.
Immigration has been a hot topic across Europe recently, with far-right parties exploiting fear of foreigners to win votes in countries from France to Austria, putting pressure on more mainstream politicians to introduce tougher policies.
The Dutch lower house of parliament rejected a series of motions on Tuesday intended to soften the plans by the centre- right government, which a spokesman for Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk said meant the policy had been approved.
Dutch refugee groups staged a mass demonstration outside parliament in The Hague last week against the expulsions and several failed asylum seekers have threatened to go on hunger strike, one sewing up his eyes and mouth in protest.
The Netherlands has seen the number of asylum seekers fall sharply since 2000, when 43,560 people applied for refugee status. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed that 18,670 people sought asylum in 2002.
The Dutch Refugee Council estimated that the number had fallen to about 10,000 in 2003.
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