Immigration minister Marjolein Faber is planning to change the rules so that asylum seekers under the age of 18 who are convicted of a serious crime can be deported more quickly.

At the moment, refugees who are minors can lose their residency permits or be refused refugee status if they are convicted of a crime under adult law and sentenced to at least six months in jail.

This was a political choice and not part of any international agreements, giving Faber a free hand to make changes. The minister now wants every sentence for a serious crime to be taken into consideration when looking at whether to withdraw or refuse a residency permit.

“Then we can do all we can to remove this scum from the country,” Faber said. “I am not talking about stealing a packet of sweets, but about serious crimes.”

Faber first mentioned the move in December but has now picked it up again following the publication of details about a rape case in Helmond at the end of 2023.

Five asylum seekers, all below the age of 18 and all in the Netherlands without family, attacked and raped a woman who had been sitting alone in a park multiple times. On Monday, it emerged that four had been sentenced to up to 15 months’ youth detention for rape, and the fifth to four months for sexual assault.

The change in the rules would mean “they draw the short straw”, Faber said. “We are now working on expelling them. They are the reason we are speeding up the process. And they are a warning to others that we will not accept this.”

Faber said she did not know if the youngsters had residency permits or where they came from, but said the IND would be able to apply the new rules to them. “And I take it that they are in detention, so we know where they are and we can deport them,” she said.

The low sentences handed down to the youngsters have also caused a political outcry, particularly the decision to try them under juvenile law. They were aged 16 and 17 at the time, and the maximum sentence for rape in the Netherlands under adult law is 12 years.

Last year, 960 foreign nationals who were convicted of serious crimes were deported after serving their sentence, some 80% of the total, the Telegraaf reported earlier this week.