“Do all my part”: Mayor Jabbeke displeased with emergency shelter for asylum seekers
He is not pleased with the decision of the federal core cabinet to organize emergency humanitarian shelters for asylum seekers in his municipality. He repeated that this morning in De Morgen (Radio 1). The mayor was also sharp for the decision with us yesterday (see also below).
“Have nothing against those people”
“I have nothing against those people, but I do have against the fact that agreements made are not fulfilled,” said Mayor Frank Casteleyn (CD&V) in De Morgen (Radio 1).
The decision to organize 1,500 emergency humanitarian shelters was already taken last week. Yesterday it was announced that two sites will be designated at the proposal of the Crisis Center: one of the Buildings Agency in Jabbeke and one of Defense in Glons (near Liège). However, the mayor of Jabbeke is seriously displeased with that decision.
“Not as agreed”
In February, Frank Casteleyn said he was told by then Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Sammy Mahdi that his municipality could buy the former Civil Defense barracks on his territory if it housed a closed return center for asylum seekers who have exhausted all legal remedies. The fact that humanitarian emergency shelters are still being added to this is going too far for Casteleyn.
“The agreement (with Mahdi, ed.) was that that was enough for Jabbeke,” he says. “I have nothing against those people, but I do object to the fact that agreements made have not been fulfilled. We would cooperate in that center in exchange for being able to buy the buildings of the Civil Protection. Agreements are agreements.”
“I do all my part”
Casteleyn says he understands that the need is currently high and that urgent additional reception places are needed, but regrets that other municipalities are not being addressed.
“I know perfectly where there is still room,” he says. “I’m doing all my part.”
Moreover, according to Casteleyn, the place where the emergency shelter will be located is not suitable for this. “It would be on a business park, but is it legal to organize a group stay there? And also right next to the highway, so those people can’t even go anywhere on foot.”