Monica Lam
Monica Lam (1996) is an investigative journalist and data journalist at Den Haag Centraal (weekly newspaper) and Lost in Europe (cross-border journalism collective investigating the disappearance of child migrants in Europe).
Her investigations for Lost in Europe have focused on topics such as missing asylum-seeking children in Europe, victims of human trafficking who are deported by the Netherlands to countries where they face the risk of repeated exploitation, and asylum seekers struggling with trauma and substance abuse.
Monica also uses statistics as part of her investigations by analyzing the data. Prior to this, Monica worked as a freelancer for ANP, Omroep West, Spot On Stories, and Vrij Nederland. Monica studied History and Middle Eastern Studies.
Expertise
Local investigative journalism | Data journalism, including Python and web scraping | Data visualization (Datawrapper, Flourish, LocalFocus) | Freedom of Information requests | Dutch and European asylum and migration policy
Recent publications
Den Haag Centraal
https://www.denhaagcentraal.net/nieuws/duizenden-drones-in-haags-luchtruim/
Lost in Europe
https://smallstreammedia.nl/artikelen/kamer-onder-hoogspanning-om-invoering-migratiepact/
Featured article
Implementation of the Migration Pact
With just three months to go until the European deadline, the Dutch government is struggling with the implementation of the Migration Pact. The government is urging swift action, but both the House of Representatives and the Senate still have many questions.
The European Pact on Asylum and Migration will come into force on 12 June 2026. The pact, comprising nine regulations and a directive, aims to better harmonise asylum and migration rules within the European Union. To implement the Pact, every European country must bring its national legislation into line with the new Pact. This means that the Dutch implementing legislation for the Migration Pact must also come into force before 12 June. However, the government has not yet reached that stage. A number of laws still need to be amended, including the Aliens Act 2000.
Many MPs still have numerous questions, as evidenced by the 138-page document containing no fewer than 447 questions addressed to the Minister for Asylum and Migration. The questions mainly concern the way in which the Netherlands intends to implement European rules. With the deadline approaching, politicians are stepping up the pressure. Minister Bart van den Brink (CDA), Minister for Asylum and Migration, wrote to the House of Representatives on 11 March stating that the bill must be debated ‘as soon as possible’. If this cannot be achieved in time, it will lead to ‘legal uncertainty’, the minister argues.