Again too little reception space in Ter Apel, asylum seekers received elsewhere

Two hundred asylum seekers who cannot be accommodated in the overcrowded application center in Ter Apel will be accommodated in Utrecht and the Groningen Zuidbroek and Stadskanaal.

In Ter Apel it came to a complete standstill today, reports RTV Noord. That’s because the day before more people registered than usual. New shelters were therefore sought.

Two hundred asylum seekers can go to the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. “Thanks to a quick collaborative action between the government and the region, we can offer people a roof over their heads to sleep tonight. And thus prevent an inhumane situation for a large group of asylum seekers,” says Sharon Dijksma, chair of the Utrecht Security Region.

“We will assist tonight and will continue to help as much as we can. We are also counting on solidarity from other regions,” emphasizes Utrecht alderman Rachel Streefland.

For several weeks, the situation has been labeled a national crisis. The security regions and the State Secretary for Justice and Security, Eric van der Burg (VVD), have agreed to take extra measures in the coming three months to solve the problems in Ter Apel.

Yesterday Van der Burg said that he expects the problems to be solved after the summer: “But I have learned: first see, then believe. And first keep promises and then look further.”

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