Jihadisme en de vreemdelingenketen

Abstract

Since the end of 2014, a broad political debate has emerged within Europe about the increase in the number of migrants and jihadism-related risks. Whereas initially, national security agencies and other experts in Europe expressed themselves cautiously about the risk that jihadists would be among migrants entering Europe, the tone changed after the attacks in Paris in November 2015. Currently, at least three risks are circulating: 1) the risk of jihadists traveling with migratory flows into Europe (and applying for asylum); 2) the risk of forced recruitment by jihadi among asylum seekers and 3) the risk that applicants simply radicalise during their stay at reception centres. As a result of the abovementioned political debate the Dutch government required further insight into the identification of jihadism in the immigration process. This resulted in the following research question:What is the current set up regarding identification and exchange of information regarding jihadism in the Dutch immigration process, how does this work in practice and are there any possible improvements to be made? If so, which?The research focuses specifically on foreign nationals requesting asylum. In order to answer the abovementioned question, different research methods have been combined. On the basis of an analysis of public sources such as media reports and policy documents and a query through the European Migration Network (EMN), the national and international contexts have been described. In order to map the structural set up regarding identification and exchange of information, the researchers have analysed policy documents and interviewed policy officers and senior staff within relevant organisations. In order to be able to mirror the existing set up to existing (academic) insights about identification and information exchange, literature has been reviewed. In order to get an idea of actual practice, both executive staff and frontline professionals have been interviewed. In total, 49 respondents have been interviewed. Index

De doelstelling van dit onderzoek is de kennis over het signaleren en detecteren van jihadisme in de Nederlandse vreemdelingenketen te vergroten, om zo een bijdrage te leveren aan het verbeteren van de kwaliteit van de signalering van jihadisme in de vreemdelingenketen. Als centrale onderzoeksvraag wordt in dit onderzoek gehanteerd:Hoe is de signalering en de informatie-uitwisseling ten aanzien van jihadisme in de Nederlandse vreemdelingenketen opgezet, hoe krijgt dit in de praktijk vorm en zijn er verbeteringen mogelijk? Zo ja, welke?In de onderzoeksvraag wordt een onderscheid gemaakt tussen signalering en informatie-uitwisseling. Vragen ten aanzien van de signalering hebben betrekking op de wijze waarop jihadisten of jihadistische activiteiten opgemerkt kunnen worden. Daarbij zien actoren in de vreemdelingenketen zich voor drie vragen gesteld: 1.) hoe kunnen binnenreizende, (reeds geradicaliseerde) jihadisten die asiel aanvragen worden herkend, 2.) hoe kunnen ronselpraktijken in de opvanglocaties worden herkend, en 3.) hoe kan radicalisering van asielzoekers op opvanglocaties worden herkend? Informatie-uitwisseling gaat over de vraag op welke wijze signalen die door actoren uit de vreemdelingenketen zijn onderkend worden gedeeld en samengebracht, zodat deze door opsporings-, inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten in onderling verband kunnen worden geanalyseerd en geëvalueerd.