Asylum seekers who report to Ter Apel on Tuesday evening must remain in the waiting area of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) until there is room in the asylum seeker center. This is reported by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA).
It is not clear how many people are involved. A COA spokesperson says he has no estimate. “But we think we can accommodate everyone.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the COA expected that there would be around 2,300 asylum seekers in Ter Apel on Tuesday evening, where there is room for a maximum of 2,000 people. A spokesperson emphasized at the time that this was a forecast. Now the COA says that the number of people in Ter Apel will probably rise to 2,300 on Wednesday.
“All efforts are aimed at creating sufficient reception places to accommodate asylum seekers and reducing the occupancy in Ter Apel as quickly as possible,” COA said in a statement. In recent weeks, several asylum seekers have been forced to spend the night on a mattress or chair in the IND waiting room. This is expected to happen again during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.