Since May 20, newly arrived people seeking asylum have been turned away at the entrance to the Ter Apel registration center. Since then, more than a hundred people have been waiting outside on an uncovered field every day. At night, people are forced to either be dragged back and forth to a night shelter or to sleep on the grass. The conditions in the night shelter are downright unethical: too many people share too little space, there are only a limited number of toilets and showers; it is noisy, and it is difficult to get enough rest. People in Ter Apel tell us that they are exhausted.
Time and again we hear: “Ter Apel is full again.” But what is portrayed as an 'asylum crisis' is in fact a political and administrative crisis. A crisis that extends far beyond the doors of Ter Apel. A failing asylum system that demonizes refugees has led to:
- years of underinvestment in asylum seeker centers
- municipalities throughout the country unwilling to fulfill their obligations under the Distribution Act
- the inability to offer asylum seekers a dignified and independent existence during their procedure.
From the Little Tower in The Hague, the Dutch government (whether led by Rutte or Jetten) prefers to repeatedly create crises in the North rather than take responsibility. By 'hiding' the consequences of their inhumane policies in rural communities, the government ensures that there are fewer eyes and ears paying attention.
But we are watching! To definitively break this cycle of 'crises', we demand that the government take the following steps:
1. Invest in permanent housing alternatives and put an end to the paternalistic camp system. The prison-like infrastructure of the camps exacerbates trauma and leads to isolation and forced dependency. A large part of the reception infrastructure could be replaced by housing assistance, income support, legal aid, and meaningful access to healthcare, provided the political will exist. And this is not that radical! Until the late 1980s, people seeking asylum in the Netherlands were housed in social housing instead of being locked up in camps. In our cities and villages, we can and will make room!
2. Tackle the housing crisis; don't make a scapegoat. For decades, migrants have been made scapegoats for the poor policies being implemented. But we know that they are not the reason for the housing shortage. Neoliberal policies and the dismantling of social housing have severely reduced the supply of affordable homes. This affects everyone. Put an end to gentrification and the eviction of social housing projects such as Stek Oost and Woondiversiteit in Hoogte Kadijk. It is time to invest in sustainable, affordable social housing to tackle the housing crisis and ensure that everyone has access to a home.
3. Let people be part of the community.People in the asylum process often face severe restrictions regarding work, moving, and building a new life. People struggle for years with hostile bureaucracy, trapped in an institutional system that prevents them from providing for their own livelihood. This is not the only option. The treatment of Ukrainian refugees is a powerful example: people are free to work, live independently outside reception centers, and move within Europe. And this from the moment they arrive. Solutions for independent living, work permits, language lessons, and the right to attend school and university are simple and realistic measures that enable people to settle within our community and make a contribution. We want to be neighbors, colleagues, classmates, and friends!
Until this can be achieved, the government and municipalities must:
4. Create more registration options for people in the asylum procedure. One reception center is simply not enough. The status quo persists because policymakers prioritize the ability to keep people available for detention and deportation over correctly assessing asylum applications. According to this logic, only Ter Apel (which is a processing center, deportation center, and detention center all in one) can receive initial registrations. Ter Apel has been overcrowded for years. Since 2024, there has even been a fine for every day that Ter Apel exceeds capacity. If we want to put an end to the kind of crises we experienced in 2022 and are experiencing again now in 2026, we must create more locations where newly arrived asylum seekers can register.
5. Ensure that all newcomers have access to dignified reception. Although aid organizations and the COA claim to protect the most vulnerable, or claim to provide emergency shelter to everyone, the reality we see in Ter Apel is very different. Since May 20, 2026, people have been sleeping outside every night, while organizations blame each other for this. Dignified and humane reception is a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few.
6. Comply with the Distribution Act and create more asylum seeker center capacity nationwide. Currently, only 26% of municipalities comply with the obligation imposed on them by the Distribution Act*. This is unacceptable. While a few hundred far-right agitators are rioting against asylum seeker centers, tens of thousands of people marched in Utrecht in May of this year to demand humane reception for migrants and refugees. This is a call to all municipalities not to give in to intimidation by the far-right, but to comply with the law.
*These statistics do not take into account the number of Ukrainian asylum seekers being accommodated in each municipality. The data is sourced from: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/h2QlL/13/