Overcrowded Ter Apel unsafe for locals and asylum seekers, emotional mayor says in court

Crowding more and more people into the asylum registration center in Ter Apel is not safe for the asylum seekers involved, or for the locals in the town or the rest of his municipality, a clearly emotional Mayor Jaap Velema of Westerwolde said in court on Wednesday. His municipality, which covers Ter Apel, filed summary proceedings against the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), asking the court to enforce the 2,000 people capacity limit at the asylum center.

Years ago, Westerwolde and the COA agreed to create room for 2,000 asylum seekers in Ter Apel, the municipality’s lawyer said in court. Westerwolde wants to offer that, the lawyers said, “but within limits that are bearable, socially responsible, and safe.” According to Westerwolde, the maximum number of 2,000 people has “been amply exceeded for months, with peaks of almost 500 people too many.” The lawyer added that the high number of asylum seekers “leads to incidents and nuisance, also outside the shelter.”

The COA disputed that overcrowding in the registration center causes incidents inside and outside. According to the agency’s lawyer, there is “no causal link between exceeding the occupancy limit and the increase in nuisance.” The nuisance is due to “the type of asylum seeker, and not the number. It concerns a limited group of asylum seekers from a specific group of safe countries with little chance of a residence permit. They always go to other locations as quickly as possible."

Mayor Velema specifically mentioned that denial in his emotional speech at the end of the summary proceedings on Wednesday. “They do not see a causal relationship. I experience it differently,” sad Velema. “We see a clear increase in the number of shoplifting and home burglaries in Ter Apel and also in Nieuw-Weerdinge.” Velema pointed out that Westerwolde added five full-time police positions since 2021, and the municipality has needed the help of the military for a year and a half.

The mayor was moved to tears when discussing the safety on the COA site itself. According to him, that is where the most serious incidents take place. That affects not only the residents of the municipality but also the safety of the asylum seekers who sought refuge there. “I feel responsible for that.”

The municipality of Westerwolde asked the court to fine the COA 25,000 euros for every day that too many asylum seekers are accommodated in Ter Apel. According to the lawyer, that should be “sufficient incentive” for the COA to adhere to a maximum number of asylum seekers.

The COA’s lawyer acknowledged that the agency was not adhering to the 2,000-person capacity agreed upon for Ter Apel. The agency is working hard to create more shelters and relieve Ter Apel, but it depends on other municipalities to make space. “That capacity is insufficient. Many municipalities take their responsibility, but despite the many calls from the State Secretary, there is too large a group of municipalities - about half - that look away,” the lawyer said in court.

The COA is experiencing “increasing resistance from municipalities and locals who oppose the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers. A large number of very temporary locations does not contribute to a stable reception landscape,” the lawyer said.

The COA’s lawyer also pointed out that granting Westerwolde’s claim entails risks. Other shelters are also full. “That will mean that not all asylum seekers can be accommodated. That is undesirable, especially in the winter period.”

The court in Groningen will rule on these summary proceedings at 2:00 p.m. on January 23.