Not only is the only registration center in the Netherlands located in Groningen, the province also receives most asylum seekers in asylum seekers’ centers and emergency reception locations. This is apparent from a national inventory by RTL.
This inventory shows that municipalities in large parts of the provinces of North and South Holland, Utrecht, North Brabant and Zeeland have been failing for years. RTL requested data for this from the Central Asylum Seekers Organisation .
Schuiling: ‘The stretch is out’
Koen Schuiling, chairman of the Groningen Security Region and mayor of the city of Groningen, believes that the stretch in the province is now over. He finds it disappointing that there is so little solidarity from municipalities in the rest of the country.
“Police officers, healthcare personnel and people in shelters work from 70 to 80 hours. That cannot go on any longer. Now it is another municipality’s turn,” says Schuiling.
Secretary of State wants the West to take responsibility
State Secretary Eric van der Burg for Asylum and Migration says in a response that the reception is unfairly distributed across the Netherlands. “If you look at this map, and it’s quite accurate, you can see that the north in particular is really doing a lot. We must ensure that the West also takes responsibility.”