Parliament to debate asylum crisis as Bant says "no" to application center

The Cabinet has a long and arduous parliamentary debate on the asylum crisis ahead of it on Thursday. The problem is massive, and both the coalition and the opposition are critical of the Cabinet’s solutions. Some parties find the proposals too harsh and inhumane, while other groups find them far too weak and continue to press for not taking in asylum seekers at all. State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) and Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing) must account for the problems and explain intended solutions.

The asylum crisis started well before the summer but worsened rapidly in recent months. The situation at the registration center in Ter Apel, in particular, was dramatic and untenable. Hundreds of asylum seekers had to sleep outside. Hygiene conditions were appalling, and safety was at stake. Doctors Without Borders started providing medical assistance to asylum seekers in Ter Apel. It was the first time that the organization intervened in the Netherlands.

One of the biggest problems is that the flow from the asylum centers to regular housing has been stalling for some time. Refugees - former asylum seekers allowed to stay in the Netherlands - occupy about 16,000 of the approximately 40,000 places in asylum centers because they can’t move on to a home. State Secretary Eric van der Burg has been looking for new asylum centers for some time, but municipalities are unwilling to cooperate. Emergency shelters also struggled to get off the ground.

Last month, Van der Burg and De Jonge, therefore, decided to resort to force. They said the need was so great that there was no other way. The Ministers bypassed Tuberrgen and gave the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) permission to open an asylum center in a hotel it bought in Albergen. That sparked anger in the municipality and in political The Hague.

After an exceptionally long Council of Ministers recently, the Cabinet presented a package of measures to contain the asylum crisis. One of those agreements is limiting family reunification - family members of asylum seekers will have to wait much longer to be reunited. The government also suspended the Turkey deal, which means that the Netherlands will take over fewer asylum seekers from Greece until the end of 2023.

The independent Meijers Committee, which includes experts in international immigration law, concluded that limiting family reunification goes against European law. The advisory body expects that the EU will step in and “call the Netherlands back if the proposed measures are actually implemented.”

The Committee pointed out that under the new rules, asylum seekers will have to wait 2.5 years to be reunited with their families. Structural postponement of family reunification, especially when it comes to children, is contrary to the Family Reunification Directive and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the committee said. The government must not forget to take the interest of children into account.

The agreements led to unrest, also within the coalition parties. Many VVD members find the arrangements too weak and want the Cabinet to stop taking in asylum seekers altogether, as do some far-right opposition parties. ChristenUnie and D66 fid the measures too harsh and inhuman. The CDA fell somewhere in between.

The government is also trying to open a second asylum application center in Bant, Flevoland. But the residents of Bant believe they are already doing enough for asylum seekers. An application center with another 300 asylum seekers is too much, they said at an information meeting.

COA director Milo Schoenmaker tried to explain what had happened so far to the angry locals. The COA recently bought a farm on the Oosterringweg, next to an existing asylum seekers center, which could serve as a second application center and relieve some pressure on Ter Apel. “At our own risk,” said Schoenmaker. “We have asked the municipality to cooperate.” The Noordoosterpolder city council, which covers the village of Bant, will decide in October.

One attendee called the explanation a “dick story.” Several others pointed out that in 2016 the government promised that no more than a thousand asylum seekers would be received in Bant. “They have to stick to that,” a woman from Luttelgeest said. “We have fully accepted the asylum center. We believe that we have done enough.” Opening the application center would make locals feel unsafe, she said.

Schoenmaker had expected to hear many concerns. “We are already doing a lot in Noordoostpolder, I often hear. The people don’t think it’s fair.” The fact is that there is a significant problem with the asylum reception in the Netherlands. “We’re not doing this to bully the people of Bant.”

Van der Burg called the meeting a “good evening,” during which we had a nice chat. The message from locals came across loud and clear, he said. “They say a thousand is enough.” And they don’t want an application center.

The State Secretary hopes to consult with the Noordoostpolder city council next week on “how to proceed.” He wouldn’t say anything about using coercive measures like in Tubbergen. “First consultation, then we’ll look further.”