The municipality of Steenbergen is prepared to receive asylum seekers. This became apparent during a city council meeting on Monday evening. A majority of the parties prefer to accommodate 75 underage asylum seekers between the ages of 15 and 17.
Despite the request from the government and the province, the municipality of Steenbergen first refused to designate reception places for asylum seekers. She therefore decided not to cooperate with six other municipalities in West Brabant, which together want to accommodate a total of about a thousand asylum seekers.
In 2016, emotions ran high about the possible arrival of an asylum seeker center in Steenbergen. The village made the national media when the situation got completely out of hand during an information meeting. A woman who spoke out in favor of the reception of asylum seekers was told to ‘fuck off’.
A group of demonstrators also insulted the woman by chanting ‘there needs to be a penis in there’ at her. After the fierce protests, the city council decided to withdraw the proposal. A majority voted against the arrival of an asylum seeker center.
Monday evening’s opinion debate took place in a calm atmosphere. The council members could give their opinion on three scenarios: no reception for asylum seekers, a small reception location for 89 asylum seekers or a reception place for 75 minor asylum seekers.
The third option is a request from the province and was preferred by most council members. First of all, to prevent ‘reputational damage’ when cooperating with surrounding places. Moreover, the proponents expect more support from the residents of Steenbergen for the care of minors.
Opponents in the municipal council are afraid of nuisance from underage asylum seekers. In addition, they believe that Steenbergen, unlike neighboring municipalities, already does more than enough to provide housing for status holders and migrant workers.
The municipal council will soon make a final decision on the reception of asylum seekers.
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