First asylum seekers move into former Amsterdam prison

The first 25 asylum seekers moved into former prison Bijlmerbajes on Wenchkebachweg in Amsterdam on Monday, AT5 reports. According to the COA, the 25 asylum seekers come from Syria, Eritrea, IRaq and Iran. they are single men, couples and families with children. The Bijlmerbajes prison closed in June. Amsterdam eventually plans to build a new neighborhood with a thousand homes on the grounds. But plans for that construction is at least 18 months away. In the mean time the city decided to rebuild the prison complex into a temporary asylum center.