Hundreds of asylum seekers have been taken to emergency shelters in the Netherlands from a completely overcrowded reception center near the German border. People were driven from the asylum-seekers’ facility in Ter Apel to accommodations in different parts of the country on Friday evening, COA spokesman Leon Veldt said. “We hope that the situation in Ter Apel will slowly normalize,” he added.
However, Dutch newspapers reported that dozens of men stayed behind at the facility. They would be afraid of losing their place in the queue.
Chaotic conditions had recently prevailed at the asylum center near the border with Lower Saxony. More than 700 asylum seekers slept on the ground under makeshift tarpaulins in front of the largest refugee reception center in the Netherlands, some according to the authorities for almost three weeks. The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders warned of an impending medical and humanitarian crisis.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte admitted that “shameful scenes” had taken place in the refugee facility. He promised a “structural solution” to the problem.
The Dutch government announced that it would temporarily suspend an agreement with Turkey to take in 1,000 refugees a year. Other reception centers are also planned. In addition, successful applicants should only be able to join family members once accommodation has been found outside the reception centres.
In addition to a lack of staff at the COA, the general lack of housing in the Netherlands as well as austerity measures at the immigration authorities and the closure of asylum centers are considered to be the causes of the problems in housing the refugees. The influx of asylum seekers and migrants remains stable at around 43,000 people per year.
The circumstances in the refugee center in Ter Apel were in the limelight after a three-month-old infant died there on Wednesday from initially unknown causes.
