Bant already receives enough asylum seekers. An application center with another three hundred asylum seekers is too much. That is the opinion of the majority of the 150 attendees, as became clear at an information meeting in Bant about the possible arrival of an application center near the village.
One of the visitors called the explanation by director Milo Schoenmaker of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) a “dick story.” Shoemaker tried to explain to him how the process went up to now. The COA recently bought a farm on the Oosterringweg, next to an existing asylum seekers center, which could serve as a second application center – next to Ter Apel. “At our risk,” said Schoenmaker. “We have asked the municipality to cooperate.” The Noordoostpolder city council will make a decision in October. It’s a “democratic process,” Schoenmaker said.
Several attendees pointed out to the present State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) and Schoenmaker an appointment from 2016, in which the municipalities were promised that no more than a thousand asylum seekers would be received in Bant. “They have to stick to that,” said a woman from Luttelgeest. “We have fully accepted the asylum seekers’ center. We believe that we have done enough.” An application center would make her feel insecure. The woman fears that the village is faced with a fait accompli. “The deal has been signed. I can’t imagine it can be undone.”
Shoemaker had expected to hear many concerns. “We are already doing a lot in the Noordoostpolder, I’ve often heard. Those people don’t think it’s fair.” The fact is that there is a major problem with asylum reception in the Netherlands, said the COA director. “We’re not doing this to tease the people of Bant.”
Van der Burg spoke after a good evening, during which we had a nice chat. The message from most of the local residents came across loud and clear to him. “They say a thousand is enough.” The local residents do not want an application center, which would have to accommodate three hundred asylum seekers.
The State Secretary hopes to consult with the Noordoostpolder council next week about “how to proceed”. Van der Burg does not want to say anything about the use of coercive measures such as in Tubbergen. “First consultation, then we look further.”