Hacksbergen: The establishment of a refugee center halted after the government fell
The municipality of Haksbergen, located in the Twente region of the province of Overijssel, has temporarily decided to retract the establishment of a new reception center for asylum seekers. This decision came after the fall of the Dutch government and the numerous questions from the community that are currently difficult to answer, as announced by the municipality on Tuesday.
The municipality also referred to the recent press conference held by the leader of the PVV party, Geert Wilders, where he presented ten proposals to tighten asylum policy, including halting the establishment of new centers for asylum seekers. A day after those statements, an informational session was held for local residents regarding the plan to establish an asylum center, but Wilders' remarks led to a state of anxiety, ambiguity, and rejection among the residents, according to the municipality's description.
The municipality has noticed a lack of interest from citizens in providing buildings to be used as shelters, which has led it to retract its plans for the time being.
According to the distribution law (spreidingswet), all Dutch municipalities are required to allocate a certain number of places to accommodate asylum seekers. This law is still in effect. The number of places required to be provided in Haksbergen is 127, of which 20 are designated for unaccompanied minors. So far, about fifty places have been provided, and the municipality planned to allocate a building on Hassinkbrinkweg for the remaining places.
All municipalities are required to inform the county of their plans to implement commitments before July 1, but Haksbergen has decided not to do so at this time, stating that the exact consequences of this decision are still unknown. The municipality stated that it will reassess the situation when the national policy becomes clearer, especially regarding the implementation of the distribution law and its implications.