Between Policy Exclusion and Civil Society Support: The State of Local Services and Policies for Undocumented Migrants in Rotterdam

An interactive workshop to better understand the state of policies and service provision for undocumented migrants in Rotterdam, together with experts working in the field

On 24 June 2025, the URBIMM project organized a participatory workshop titled “The State of Policies and Service Provision towards Undocumented Migrants in Rotterdam.” This event took place at the historic Pauluskerk in Rotterdam. We were delighted to organise the workshop in collaboration with the SPIMEC project (Sanctuary Policies for Irregular Migrants in European Cities). The aim of the workshop was to present and discuss the findings from our mapping study of policies and services for undocumented migrants in Rotterdam.

In the Netherlands and beyond, hostile attitudes and policies towards undocumented migrants have increased in recent years. At the same time, service provision has become the focus of targeted actions by national and local actors. For this reason, it is crucial to evaluate the current state of urban migration infrastructures and to develop policy recommendations in collaboration with local stakeholders who work directly in the field. The location of the workshop was meaningful: the Pauluskerk has long served as a safe haven and bastion of solidarity for undocumented migrants in Rotterdam, offering shelter, healthcare, counselling, and volunteering opportunities.

Professionals and local experts who took part in the project were invited to join the workshop. Their perspectives are vital to understanding the current situation on the ground and to validating URBIMM’s findings. The results of the discussion will also help plan the next stages of the URBIMM project, including further research on migrants’ intra-European mobility trajectories and co-creating interventions in local policies and practices with stakeholders.

The workshop was divided into three main sections: (1) presentation of initial findings, (2) community response, and (3) group discussion. The initial findings were presented by Dr. Thomas Swerts and Carola Vasileiadi (URBIMM) and Dr. Raffaele Bazurli (SPIMEC). Their presentation summarized the main results of the mapping study through ten statements about the current situation in Rotterdam:

Local policies in Rotterdam towards undocumented migrants are hostile, emphasizing deterrence and return, and are legitimized by framing their presence as an urban security and public nuisance threat.
The dynamics of cooperation and conflict within the field of policy and service provision towards undocumented migrants in Rotterdam have evolved over time.
Mobilization and citizen support for the rights of undocumented migrants in Rotterdam is modest and generally does not lead to local policy changes.
The undocumented migrant population in Rotterdam is relatively stable yet increasingly characterized by internal diversity in terms of length of residence, legal status, and ethnicity.
Although most undocumented migrants in Rotterdam are able to get by without support from service providers, securing work and access to housing has become more difficult.
The ability to access rights and services varies between groups and is often conditional upon cooperation with voluntary return.
The Rotterdam field of service provision is characterized by coordination between professionalized organizations involved.
Service provision towards undocumented migrants in Rotterdam is highly professionalized yet relatively limited to providing basic services contained in BBB+.
There are gaps between formal and informal infrastructures supporting undocumented migrants in Rotterdam, with certain migrant communities taking initiatives alongside professionalized service provision.
Government disinvestment and policy and legal restrictions are causing strain on the ability of local actors to secure the continuation of service provision.

Testimony from a Lived-Experience Expert

A particularly meaningful part of the workshop came from G., who shared his personal story. After arriving in the Netherlands to seek asylum, he began volunteering at the Pauluskerk in 2012. Being a volunteer there gave him the chance to help people who were facing the same difficulties he had once faced, as well as giving him a new sense of purpose. His testimony reminded participants of the crucial role that urban infrastructures play in offering undocumented migrants not only practical assistance but also a sense of belonging and dignity. His contribution to the workshop was crucial, as it emphasized how the policies and service provision discussed concretely affect the everyday life of undocumented migrants.

Drawing inspiration from G.’s words, the group discussion focused on three central themes:

1. Hostility of Local Policies

The first topic focused on the hostility of local policies towards undocumented migrants in Rotterdam, which is worsening as migrants are increasingly seen as a threat in public debates. Participants pointed out that this hostility is partly produced as a side effect of bureaucratic systems. Many agreed that the current situation reflects a form of state abandonment, in which bureaucratic inertia perpetuates exclusion. Rather than a fixed policy stance, this hostility may be understood as a snapshot within a shifting political field. Nevertheless, populist narratives increasingly frame refugees and migrant workers as a threat. Both bureaucratic indifference and polarization put solidarity towards undocumented migrants under pressure.

2. Civil Support and Citizen Solidarity

The second part of the discussion focused on civil support for the rights and demands of undocumented migrants. While overt mobilization may be limited, there is strong citizen support and solidarity for broader social issues such as the housing crisis and homelessness, which affect not only undocumented migrants but also other city residents. Furthermore, not all forms of support are visible. For example, informal initiatives such as squatting remain intentionally invisible. Participants also pointed out that the recent success of legal actions against the closure of the LVV represents a noteworthy opportunity for local solidarity.

3. Service Provision under Pressure

The third topic focused on the role of government policies and their effects on service provision for undocumented migrants. Government disinvestment and restrictive policies are straining the ability of local actors to maintain stable services. Despite this, participants stressed that solidarity practices in Rotterdam are still kept alive by professionalised and grassroots infrastructures, although the latter are not always visible. Participants also highlighted that healthcare services in Rotterdam are highly specialised and coordinated. However, as service provision and solidarity are increasingly criminalized, this puts service provision under further pressure.

After the critical discussion, participants reflected on the threats and opportunities for service provision for undocumented migrants in Rotterdam. One threat is that local politicians now seem less interested in the problems faced by undocumented migrants than they were thirty years ago. However, while hostility is increasing, focusing on the particular strengths of urban infrastructures can help to find a path forward. Rotterdam is a super-diverse city characterized by a longstanding history of diversity and migration. Furthermore, the network of service providers is relatively compact and allows for manageable coordination between stakeholders. An additional opportunity is the recent success of lawsuits against the closure of BBB services, showcasing how the law can be used to contest exclusionary policies.

The workshop concluded with reflections by Prof. dr. Godfried Engbersen, who has studied the social conditions of undocumented migrants in Dutch cities since the 1990s in the Unknown City research project. He identified both discontinuities and continuities. A discontinuity has to do with the political climate: at the time, his research was received by the municipality as an invitation to become a more hospitable city. Given the populist wave sweeping Europe today, the question is whether this still holds. A continuity is that the same humanitarian, professional, and pragmatic arguments for why cities should support service provision for undocumented migrants still hold today. He concluded by arguing that an important task remains for social scientists to obtain a clearer picture of the conditions that shape the lives of undocumented migrants.

The workshop emphasised the continuing task for researchers and practitioners to grasp the complexity of the situation and to identify how the lives of undocumented migrants are locally shaped. Projects such as URBIMM aim to strengthen collaboration with stakeholders in the field, inform policies and best practices, and contribute to fairer and more dignified futures for undocumented migrants.

Authors: Chiara Tarulli, Carola Vasileiadi