Brussels (The Brussels morning Newspaper): Ngolo a 21-year-old basketball player from Cong, is in a closed center in Belgium awaiting a decision on his residency application, despite support from local officials.
Ngolo is a 21-year-old basketball player from Congo who has played for a few basketball clubs in Belgium. Last year he made an important step in his career by signing a one-year contract with the Antwerp Giants a respected team in the Belgian league. The contract also had an option to renew which shows that the team sees potential in him. Even with this chance Ngolo hasn’t played any games for the Antwerp Giants yet. It has been said that this might be due to different reasons like the team’s strategy other players in his position or his own growth as a player. Because of this his future with the Giants is unclear as he looks for opportunities to play and show what he can do.
Why is Basketball player Ngolo arrested in Brussels?
The 21-year-old basketball player who has been in Belgium since 2019 is currently held in a closed center in Vottem. He was arrested by the police at the end of May after he applied to get legal status in Belgium and for international protection. The legal status application was to help him stay in Belgium legally while the international protection application was to seek asylum or other help because of his situation. Both of his applications were denied which means he doesn’t have legal residency or protection. This resulted in him being held in the closed center while his situation is being looked at and any possible appeals are being handled. His detention shows the difficulties people face when dealing with immigration and asylum processes in Belgium.
In April of 2024 Ngolo submitted a new application to get legal status and it has support from a letter written by the alderman of the Civil Registry in his area. The protesters say that the letter clearly backs Ngolo’s application and shows a willingness to help him with his request. This support from the alderman is important because it shows that a local official understands Ngolo’s situation and supports his effort to get legal residency in Belgium. However even with this support what happens with Ngolo’s application will depend on the larger legal and bureaucratic processes involved in getting legal status.
Some people believe the Immigration Office (DVZ) made a mistake by putting Ngolo in a closed center while preparing to send him back to Congo. His friend Marius Ndolimana mentioned that Ngolo has worked hard to fit into Belgian society since he moved there at a young age and no longer has connections to Congo. He wants to build his future in Belgium. Nehemie Lusakumunu also thinks Ngolo should be released highlighting that he is a talented young basketball player with strong recommendations from various coaches showing he has a bright future ahead.
