More municipalities scrapping asylum center plans over resistance from locals

More and more municipalities are postponing or scrapping plans for an asylum seekers’ shelter due to resistance from locals. At least 20 municipalities have delayed or withdrawn plans for already announced asylum shelters in recent months, De Telegraaf reports.

The Asylum Distribution Act obliges municipalities to create shelters for a total of 96,000 asylum seekers by July 1.

The Schoof I Cabinet has promised to scrap this law, but that hasn’t happened yet and Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber is enforcing the law for now.

What will happen if the municipalities fail to meet their deadline is unclear.

The law states that the government will then create shelters in the municipalities, but this Cabinet is not in favor of forced shelters.

In recent months, municipalities have worked on opening shelters, but many did not take account of resistance from locals. At least 20 municipalities from Heerenveen to Zwolle and from Oldebroek