There will be a special reception location for asylum seekers in the Groningen village of Zoutkamp, to relieve the pressure on the application center in Ter Apel. This is confirmed by the umbrella municipality of Het Hogeland reporting from NOS and RTV Noord Monday. From 10 September, five to seven hundred asylum seekers can be accommodated at the location from 10 September while they await their procedure.
A spokesperson for the municipality calls the reception location a “waiting room” for Ter Apel. The first registration will take place at the application center, and a follow-up appointment will also be made. Asylum seekers can stay in Zoutkamp between registration and the appointment. “It’s a matter of days.” The intention is that asylum seekers with a permit from Ter Apel will be forwarded to asylum seekers’ centers elsewhere in the country. Minor, unaccompanied asylum seekers are not received in Zoutkamp, but in the application centre.
The mayor of the municipality of Het Hogeland, Henk Jan Bolding, tells RTV Noord that he is “moved and upset” by the situation in Ter Apel. “That is so far from what a civilized country should do. That is why we as a municipality want to commit ourselves to this.”
The mayor emphasizes that Het Hogeland is a large municipality, with a lot of space. “We have a large defense area.” The new reception location will be located opposite the barracks in Zoutkamp, on Defense territory. Defense will also help build, RTV Noord writes. It is not yet clear how the emergency shelter will be arranged exactly. “It is not the intention that people have to stay in tents,” says Mayor Bolding. “Defence is looking at how a good stay can be made. I hope to hear more about that in the course of the day.”