Twenty asylum seekers sleep in rain outside Ter Apel centre
Twenty people slept on the grass outside the Ter Apel registration centre on Thursday night because there was no room inside, and aid organisations say conditions have dropped below a humane minimum.
Twenty asylum seekers slept on the grass in the rain outside the registration centre in Ter Apel on Thursday night. There was no space for them inside.
The Red Cross and VluchtelingenWerk Nederland, the Dutch refugee council, call it "a direct consequence of the lack of reception places". The two organisations say the reception of asylum seekers "is falling below a humane minimum".
On Wednesday the COA, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, warned that women, children and sick people might have to sleep outside the gates of the centre.
The municipality of Westerwolde, where Ter Apel is located, called that prospect "unacceptable and inhumane". It is demanding measures to prevent it.
Asylum applications are lower than a year ago but remain above early-2025 levels
Asylum applications per month · Sep 2024–Aug 2026
Asylum applications are lower than a year ago but remain above early-2025 levels (asylum applications per month). From 3,085 in Sep 2024 to 1,965 in Aug 2026; highest 3,085 in Sep 2024, lowest 1,445 in Mar 2025. Source: CBS.
| Item | asylum applications per month |
|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | 3085.0 |
| Oct 2024 | 2890.0 |
| Nov 2024 | 2460.0 |
| Dec 2024 | 2255.0 |
| Jan 2025 | 1785.0 |
| Feb 2025 | 1670.0 |
| Mar 2025 | 1445.0 |
| Apr 2025 | 1670.0 |
| May 2025 | 1925.0 |
| Jun 2025 | 2115.0 |
| Jul 2025 | 2235.0 |
| Aug 2025 | 2120.0 |
| Sep 2025 | 2865.0 |
| Oct 2025 | 2615.0 |
| Nov 2025 | 2650.0 |
| Dec 2025 | 2745.0 |
| Jan 2026 | 2230.0 |
| Feb 2026 | 2125.0 |
| Mar 2026 | 2115.0 |
| Apr 2026 | 2275.0 |
| May 2026 | 2305.0 |
| Jun 2026 | 2005.0 |
| Jul 2026 | 2025.0 |
| Aug 2026 | 1965.0 |
Follow the story: COA
COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers)
The independent government body that houses and looks after asylum seekers while their applications are processed. It runs reception centres across the country and falls under the minister responsible for asylum and migration.