Asylum seekers in former Utrecht casino go to Kamp Zeist

The two hundred refugees that Utrecht took over from the reception center in Ter Apel at the end of last month will be housed from Sunday in the former military complex Kamp van Zeist. The municipality of Utrecht had temporarily made the former Holland Casino building available as emergency shelter.

In any case, it was intended that the emergency shelter in the old casino near the Jaarbeurs would only be for four weeks. The executive board of the municipality informed the city council in a letter that the refugees will be brought to Kamp van Zeist in coordination with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). All refugees must be accommodated at the new location by Thursday at the latest.

The pressure on the Ter Apel reception center is increasing due to the long-standing lack of regular reception places, among other things. The Groningen Security Region described the situation at the registration center at the end of March as worrying. Refugees cannot transfer to one of the 111 asylum seekers' centers. These are full, partly because about 13,000 status holders are waiting for a home.

Since Tuesday, no more than 2,000 asylum seekers are allowed to stay in the center in Ter Apel. Earlier this week, various municipalities, including Amsterdam and Alkmaar, came to the rescue with temporary shelters.