Asylum seekers who cause problems should be isolated: Security Inspectorate

The living situation in and around asylum seekers' centers is damaged by applicants prone to criminal behavior, the Justice and Security Inspectorate stated. The issue can only be solved by transferring nuisance-causing asylum seekers to special reception centers where they can cause less harm, the Inspectorate stated in their newest report.

The Netherlands currently has one such reception center located in Hoogeveen, Drenthe. Employees there are given more rights to impose sanctions on residents than in ordinary reception centers. Special investigative officers are also present and are allowed to intervene physically.

Asylum seekers are normally received in regular reception centers. If it turns out that they are causing a nuisance, they cannot immediately be relocated to special shelters due to complexities in the legal system. As a result, the majority of them end up staying put where problems are not adequately dealt with, the Inspectorate explained.

The employees in asylum centers do not have the training, resources or powers to quickly limit nuisance and to offer the necessary care and guidance permanently, the Inspectorate stated.

“This leads to demotivation and high absenteeism among [reception center] staff. As a result, there is less staff to deploy. In addition, nuisance providers complicate the living situation of other asylum seekers in normal reception facilities and local residents experience nuisance because of their behavior,“ the Inspectorate stated.

The Inspectorate also recommended investigating how criminal records of nuisance-causing asylum applicants can be shared within the European Union.