Theo Francken

Theo Francken
Theo Francken in 2021
Member of the Chamber of Representatives
Assumed office
6 July 2010
Secretary of State for Asylum, Migration and Administrative Simplification
In office
11 October 2014 – 9 December 2018
Prime MinisterCharles Michel
Succeeded byMaggie De Block
Personal details
Born (1978-02-07) 7 February 1978 (age 46)
Lubbeek, Belgium
Political partyNew Flemish Alliance
Children2
EducationKU Leuven
WebsiteParty website

Theo Francken (born 7 February 1978) is a Belgian politician who has been a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2010. He is a member of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a conservative Flemish nationalist party.

Francken was made state secretary for asylum and migration in the first Charles Michel cabinet in 2014, where he became prominent for his controversial zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration in the midst of the European migrant crisis. Francken and the N-VA opposed Belgium's support of the Global Compact for Migration, leading them to exit the coalition government in December 2018 and thereby trigger its collapse.

Since the 2024 Belgian federal election, he has served as the N-VA's faction leader in parliament.