Belgium’s coalition government has agreed upon a new measure to speed up the deportation of illegal foreign nationals held in prison, with Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt saying around 250 detainees could be removed in the near term under the tougher system.

The policy, ratified on Friday as part of the government’s response to prison overcrowding, gives the Immigration Office wider powers to begin deportation procedures earlier than before, according to reporting from RTL.

Under the new rules, removals can be initiated up to 12 months before the end of a sentence rather than six months, or once the necessary documents are in place, and the inmate has served one-third of the sentence.

Anyone deported under the measure will also be banned from re-entering Belgian territory.

Van Bossuyt presented the move as both a migration and public safety measure, saying the agreement would make it possible to remove illegal detainees more quickly and more efficiently while easing pressure on the prison system.

She insisted that the deportation of convicted illegal migrants is a top priority for the government and argued that the new approach would help deal with overcrowded jails.

Belgium: Released early due to prison overcrowding, Kosovar Muslim sets wife on fire in front of their children

The agreement could also see the capacity of detention centers increased. Four new centers are being planned in Steenokkerzeel, Jumet, Jabbeke, and Zandvliet, which together are expected to add 400 places.

Van Bossuyt said the government had already increased the pace of prisoner repatriations to the highest level in several years. She noted that repatriations rose significantly last year, compared to 2024.

“In 2025, the return of illegal criminals from prison rose by 25 percent. That is the highest level in seven years. In the short term, we will remove another 250 illegal detainees,” she wrote on X.

“Anyone staying in Belgium illegally and threatening our society must leave.”

An October 2025 report by The Brussels Times set out the scale of Belgium’s prison overcrowding crisis. The country holds more than 13,000 inmates despite having capacity for only around 11,000.

Citing Justice Ministry data, foreign nationals account for 43.8 percent of Belgium’s prison population, with 30.9 percent of all inmates lacking a valid residence permit. Within that group, 17.3 percent are both convicted and residing illegally in the country, and around 4,400 undocumented prisoners are currently in detention.