Since May 20th, newly arrived asylum seekers have been turned away at the doors of the Ter Apel registration center. Every day since then, over a hundred people wait outside on an unsheltered field. At night, people have to choose between being shuttled back and forth to a night shelter or sleeping outside. Conditions in the night shelter are poor: Too many people are sharing too few toilets and showers; the shelter is loud and it is difficult to get enough rest. People we speak to tell us they are exhausted.
We hear the line over and over: "Ter Apel is full again". But what is being depicted as an 'asylum crisis' is actually a political and administrative crisis. One that reaches far beyond the doors of Ter Apel. A broken asylum system that demonizes people on the move has led to years of under-investment in AZCS, municipalities across the country unwilling to meet their obligations under the Spreadingswet (Distribution Act), and the failure to ensure asylum seekers can live with dignity and autonomy as their claims are assessed.
From the safety of the Hague, the Dutch government (whether under Rutte or Jetten) would prefer to create repeated crises in the North than take responsibility. They think by isolating the consequences of their inhumane policies in rural communities there will be fewer eyes and ears paying attention.
But we are paying attention! To put a permanent end to this cycle of 'crises' we demand the National government take the following steps:
1. Invest in permanent housing alternatives and end the paternalistic camp system. The prison-like infrastructure of camps exacerbates trauma and creates isolation and forced dependency. Much of the reception infrastructure could be replaced with housing assistance, income support, legal aid, and meaningful healthcare access if there was the political willingness to do so. And this is not so radical! Up until the late 1980s, asylum seekers in the Netherlands were accommodated in social housing rather than being contained in camps. In our cities and in our towns, we can and will make space!
2. Tackle the housing crisis, don't scapegoat it. For decades, migrants have been scapegoated for poor policy. But we know they aren't to blame. Neoliberal policies and the dismantling of public housing have greatly reduced the supply of affordable housing, leaving us all worse off. It is time to invest in sustainable, affordable public housing to tackle the housing crisis and ensure everyone has access to a home. Stop the gentrification and eviction of housing projects such as Stek Oost and Woondiversiteit in Hoogte Kadijk.
3. Let people become part of the community.People in the asylum process often face heavy restrictions on working, moving, and rebuilding their lives as they see fit. People spend years navigating a hostile bureaucracy, trapped in an institutional system that does not allow them to sustain themselves. This is not the only option. The treatment of Ukrainian refugees provides a powerful example: People were free to work, live independently rather than in AZCs, and move within Europe as soon as they arrived in the Netherlands. Independent living solutions, work permits, language classes, and the right to go to school and university are easy and realistic measures that allow people to settle and contribute. We want to be neighbors, coworkers, classmates and friends!
Until this can be achieved, the National government and Municipal governments must:
4. Create more registration opportunities for newly arrived asylum seekers. One reception center is simply not enough. The status quo persists because policy makers prioritize the ability to keep people available for detention and deportation over assessing claims properly. Under this logic, only Ter Apel (which is a processing center, deportation center, and detention center all in one) can receive initial registrations. For several years now, Ter Apel has been overcrowded. In fact, since 2024 a fine has been in place for every day that Ter Apel is over capacity. If we want to see an end to the kinds of crises we witnessed in 2022 and now again in 2026, we must create more locations where newly arrived asylum seekers can register.
5. Ensure that all new arrivals have access to identified shelter. While relief organizations and COA claim to protect the most vulnerable, or claim to be providing emergency shelter to all, the reality we see in Ter Apel is different. Every night since May 20th there have been people left sleeping outside as organizations all point fingers at each other. Dignified and humane shelter is a right, not a privilege only for those are willing to wait all day or fit the mould.
6. Fulfill the Distribution Act and create more AZC capacity across the country. Currently, only 26% of municipalities fulfill the obligation mandated to them by the Spreading Act*. This is unacceptable. While a few hundred people on the far right might riot against AZCs, tens of thousands marched in Utrecht this May demanding the humane welcoming of migrants and refugees. This is the call for all municipalities to not give in to far-right intimidation and fulfill the Act.
*These statistics do not account for the number of Ukrainian asylum seekers that are hosted in each municipality. The data comes from: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/h2QlL/13/