Canada and the United States view on urgent refugee center relocations amid health concerns
In the Netherlands, more than 400 refugees were relocated from the Ter Apel registration center to other parts of the country during the night, following alarms raised by the Health Inspectorate about sanitary and hygienic conditions in a site where hundreds had been sleeping outdoors for weeks.
The Central Agency for Receiving Asylum Seekers reported on Saturday that hundreds of asylum seekers gathered on the perimeter of Ter Apel’s registration center and boarded buses to locations in Utrecht, Stadskanaal, Zuidbroek, Almere, and Groningen.
The move followed weeks of complaints about overcrowding and living conditions at Ter Apel, after the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate urged urgent action amid warnings about the consequences of severe hygiene problems at the facility.
Investigators who visited the area around the center on Friday described refugees living in “terrible conditions” and voiced fears about scarce drinking water and malfunctioning toilets. The conditions in the center’s garden and parking lot, where about 700 people were crowded, raised concerns about the risk of infectious disease spreading through showers, toilets, and basic shelter.
The authorities called for immediate facility improvements because reliable water, sanitation, and shelter are essential for health and safety.
It remained unclear how long asylum seekers would stay at their new destinations, as temporary accommodations were arranged with several municipalities to ease pressure on the site, with some options usable only overnight.
Some asylum seekers preferred to remain at Ter Apel rather than risk losing their place in the refugee registration process, which marks the first official step in the Dutch asylum procedure.
According to Dutch news agency ANP, up to 80 people chose to continue sleeping near the cordon last night.
The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders have joined forces to provide primary health care to refugees and to refer chronic or more serious cases to hospitals as needed.
During a visit to Ter Apel, observers noted the harsh realities NGOs had warned about for weeks: bathrooms in the square were unsanitary, volunteers were treating wounds and infections that had persisted for weeks, and some residents lived in tents after long journeys.
Some refugees arrived with visible injuries and skin problems caused by travel and insufficient hygiene conditions.