Key facts
- The law covers people denied asylum in Belgium who have ignored orders to leave and are seen as a threat to public security.
- Home searches require approval from an investigative judge and are restricted to between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m.
- Immigration officials must be present during any search of a private home, the report said.
- The government said the measure is a tool to enforce deportation orders against people deemed a danger to public order or national security.
- Human rights groups and lawyers argued the law risks undermining constitutional rights and privacy laws.
Belgium's parliament early on November 6, 2026 approved a law allowing police to enter the homes of suspected undocumented migrants who have ignored orders to leave the country. Lawmakers passed the measure by a majority around 5 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) after a debate that lasted through the night.
The law is part of a broader push by Prime Minister Bart De Wever's right-leaning coalition to limit migration and increase expulsions of people denied the right to stay. Searches will be limited to the homes of people who have been denied asylum in Belgium, have ignored orders to leave and are seen as a threat to public security.
Home searches must be agreed to by an investigative judge and can only occur between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., with immigration officials present. The government has defended the measure as a tool to enforce deportation orders for people considered a danger to public order or national security.
The legislation drew opposition from human rights groups and lawyers, who argue that allowing police into private homes for immigration enforcement risks undermining constitutional rights and privacy laws. Amnesty International urged lawmakers to reject the bill ahead of the vote, saying it could also affect people who help undocumented migrants.
Around 3,000 people formed a human chain around Brussels' Palace of Justice on the evening of November 4, 2026 to protest the bill, and more than 50 other demonstrations and gatherings were organized in towns and cities across the country, Belgian media reported.