Red Cross called in to help with reception of asylum seekers in Ter Apel

The Red Cross has been called in to support the reception of asylum seekers in Ter Apel. The aid organization will provide basic equipment on the premises of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND), the IND reported. Due to the large crowds at the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), asylum seekers had to wait in the IND waiting rooms at night for almost two months and now also during the day, sometimes on chairs and on the floor.

At the request of the refugee organization Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland and under the direction of the COA, the Red Cross will set up a tent with showers in the IND application center. It will also provide extra blankets, air mattresses, hygiene kits, as well as shower facilities for people to use in the waiting rooms. Volunteers will help distribute these items, among other things. "People will not be staying in tents," an IND spokesperson emphasized.

"The Red Cross's efforts are necessary because the IND waiting rooms have been used to accommodate asylum seekers every night for almost two months. Some people spend several nights in a row sleeping on chairs or on the floor," said the IND. "Even during the day, it is now necessary to use some waiting rooms for reception. The IND's waiting rooms are not suitable for longer stays, which is the case now."

The Director General of the IND, Rhodia Maas, describes the situation as worrying. "Due to the lack of reception places, the entire asylum chain is overloaded. The staff at Ter Apel are doing what they can to provide people with basic needs such as shelter, food and basic hygiene. But our waiting rooms are not suitable for reception and our organization is not equipped for this."

Maas said she is grateful that the Red Cross is coming to help. "But this is not a sustainable solution. The IND is responsible for the application procedure in Ter Apel and the further asylum procedure. Additional reception places must be made available really quickly so that this does not come to a standstill."

According to Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland, things have not been going well in Ter Apel for weeks. "But this week we crossed the line again. Due to the lack of beds, dozens of asylum seekers slept on plastic chairs and on the floor in the waiting rooms last week, without the opportunity to shower."

The organization is once again appealing to municipalities and politicians to create additional accommodation. "It is of the utmost importance that we as a society take responsibility together and offer these people safe, humane conditions in which they can recover from their often long journey. The solution must come from politicians."

Van der Burg sees help of Red Cross as sign of great need

The fact that the Red Cross is being deployed to support the reception of asylum seekers in Ter Apel shows that the need is great, said outgoing State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) through his spokesperson. His officials are working through call lists to convince mayors to set up reception places.

The State Secretary is trying to persuade "municipalities that do not meet their obligation to take in refugees" to take in the people anyway. In this way, the minister hopes to relieve the overcrowded asylum seekers' homes at Ter Apel.

Municipalities that agree to take in asylum seekers regularly encounter resistance from local residents. They find an ally in Geert Wilders, whose PVV party recently emerged as the strongest party in the elections. Last week, the far-right politician appeared in Kijkduin in The Hague. Up to 120 people are being accommodated in a hotel here until January 15. The politician came to calm the angry residents.