A Small Dutch Town Takes a Stand Against More Asylum Seekers

Maassluis, a former fishing town west of Rotterdam, has become the centre of a political dispute over asylum accommodation. Its newly formed municipal coalition says the town has contributed enough and wants its future reception capacity reduced to zero.

The position is unusually direct, but it does not mean Maassluis has already withdrawn from the Dutch asylum system. National legislation still allows the government to assign reception places when provincial negotiations fail to produce sufficient capacity.