The number of asylum seekers in the registration center in Ter Apel has fallen from 2031 to 1885. That is under the maximum of 2000. As a result, COA reception body does not have to pay a new penalty of 50,000 euros.
According to a spokesperson for the COA, reception spots were released here and there in the country, creating room to transfer asylum seekers. It remains tight, the COA emphasizes.
The number of asylum seekers rose above 2000 last Tuesday, for the first time since November last year. More people in Ter Apel also spent the night on Wednesday and Thursday. As a result, the counter is now at 150,000 euros. The COA has to transfer that amount to the municipality of Westerwolde, in which Ter Apel lies.
The occupation of the center had already increased in the weeks before. This is according to the COA because some temporary locations are closed. Moreover, thousands of recognized refugees are still in asylum seekers’ centers. Those status holders can stay in the Netherlands, but due to housing shorts there is no place for them, and therefore their beds in the AZCs are not released for newcomers. In addition, the number of asylum applications in the summer is usually somewhat higher than in the spring and autumn.