Dutch government collapses as ruling party seeks immigration restrictions

The Dutch coalition government led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte collapsed on Friday after the bloc's constituent parties failed to reach an agreement to restrict migration to the Netherlands.

An influx of asylum seekers has presented considerable strain on the country, which has struggled to contend with the volume of applicants and agree on policy to manage it.  Rutte had hoped to create a system to prioritize migrants fleeing from war zones and to limit the number of family members who may join existing refugees in the country per year, according to Politico.

Final negotiations on Friday failed to win the support of some parties in the coalition, which had steadfastly opposed efforts to limit family reunifications. The government collapse means new elections are likely to occur in November.

The Netherlands is far from the only European country to struggle with rising migration. Countries such as France have permitted large swathes of new arrivals from Africa and the Middle East to the point of causing sizeable demographic changes.

Curbing migration was a frequently mentioned goal of the UK's Brexit movement to leave the European Union. Asylum and migration policy has also become a sticking point between the EU and its eastern constituent nations, who have largely resisted accepting significant asylum seekers and migrants.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.