Dutch Travel Maniac exposes abuses and misconduct at the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers; Tom Russcher MP submits parliamentary questions

In a shocking documentary, Dutch YouTuber Dutch Travel Maniac reveals large-scale, structural abuses within the asylum system: from drug trafficking to inspection manipulation, from weapons possession to the concealment of incidents. Through conversations with asylum seekers, security guards and staff, Dutch Travel Maniac paints a disturbing picture of how the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) operates. Tom Russcher wants to get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible and has submitted written questions to the Minister for Asylum and Migration.

Questions from Tom Russcher MP to the Minister for Asylum and Migration and the Minister of Justice and Security regarding abuses at COA locations, particularly the reception centre in Ter Apel and AZC Budel, based on the YouTube documentary by Dutch Travel Maniac.

• Are you familiar with the documentary from the YouTube channel Dutch Travel Maniac, in which anonymous security guards, (former) residents and shopkeepers provide extensive testimony about structural abuses at COA locations, including the reception centre in Ter Apel and the Asylum Seekers Centre (AZC) at Budel?
• Can you confirm that drugs are structurally traded at COA locations, as alleged in the documentary in Ter Apel and Budel, including cocaine, speed and hashish?
• If the answer to question two is affirmative: at which locations is this the case, and what measures have been taken so far to combat this?
• If the answer to question two is negative: how do you explain the multiple independent testimonies about this?
• Is it true that there is no standard frisking or checking for contraband when entering AZC sites, with the exception of the building of the IND Immigration and Naturalisation Service?
• If the answer to question five is affirmative: do you consider this responsible given the persistent signals of weapons possession and drug trafficking at these locations, and are you willing to introduce structural access controls?
• If the answer to question five is negative: how do you explain the multiple independent testimonies about this?
• How do you explain that residents of AZCs can possess weapons such as machetes, kitchen knives and shards of glass on site?
• What measures are being taken to prevent and combat weapons possession at COA locations?
• Are you aware that security guards at COA locations state that large-scale fights and stabbing incidents occur weekly, and that smaller altercations take place daily?
• Can you provide an overview of the number of recorded violent incidents at COA locations over the past three years, broken down by type of incident and location?
• Is it true that security guards at COA locations are structurally confronted with physical violence, including biting, spitting and threats with weapons?
• What are you doing to ensure the safety of COA staff, including security personnel?
• Do you agree that it is unacceptable for the COA to shift responsibility onto the external security organisations it hires?
• Do you recognise the picture that security guards fear losing their jobs if they report abuses?
• If the answer to question 15 is negative: why do anonymous security guards indicate this?
• Are you willing to establish or strengthen a whistleblower scheme specifically for staff at COA locations, so that abuses can be reported safely?
• How do you reflect on the fact that asylum seekers who have genuinely fled war zones state that they feel structurally unsafe at COA locations, and that some place furniture against their doors in order to sleep safely?
• How do you reflect on the fact that women and families with children in AZCs indicate that they cannot move freely due to intimidation and sexual harassment by fellow residents?
• Can you confirm that there are known cases in which AZC residents have committed sexual assault, and that the perpetrators only received a so-called “time-out”, consisting of a temporary transfer to a more basic room, after which they returned to the same location?
• If the answer to question twenty is affirmative: do you consider this an appropriate sanction for sexual offences?
• If the answer to question twenty is negative: why do security guards and (former) residents indicate this?
• Is it true that the so-called Freedom-Restricting Location (VBL) at the Ter Apel site is designed in such a way that residents can easily climb over the fence and return to the centre of Ter Apel?
• If the answer to question 23 is affirmative: what measures are being taken to prevent this?
• Can you reflect on the statement by security guards that an estimated 80% of incidents are not reported or made public?
• Can you rule out that the COA deliberately transports residents away by coach during inspection days or visits by Members of Parliament in order to present occupancy rates and conditions more favourably than they actually are?
• If the answer to question 26 is affirmative: on what basis can you rule this out?
• If the answer to question 26 is negative: are you willing to have an independent investigation conducted into this?
• Is it true that residents involved in such relocations receive financial compensation?
• If the answer to question 28 is affirmative: what amounts are involved and from which budget are these financed?
• Are you willing to introduce structural, unannounced inspections at COA locations in order to obtain a realistic picture of the daily situation?
• Is it true that the initial screening by the IND in some cases consists of only a limited number of yes/no questions?
• If the answer to question 32 is affirmative: do you consider this sufficient to identify potential security risks?
• Is facial recognition or biometric verification used during registration in Ter Apel? If not, why not, and are you willing to introduce this?
• What is your response to the signal that asylum seekers frequently discard or destroy passports and identity documents prior to registration, and that there is trade in false passports via human smuggling networks?
• What measures are being taken to combat identity fraud?
• Can you explain why the police, as stated by multiple sources in the documentary, are limited in their ability to act against AZC residents who commit criminal offences because they do not have a Dutch identity?
• Are you aware that shopkeepers in the vicinity of AZCs face threats, spitting, theft and sexual intimidation by residents?
• Are you willing to engage with the relevant municipalities about additional measures to protect local entrepreneurs?
• How do you assess the fact that residents living near the AZC in Lochem receive €1,000 from the government to better secure their homes? What does this say, in your view, about the safety situation around AZC locations?
• Do you agree that it is irresponsible to open new AZC locations while safety at existing locations is not in order, for residents, local communities and staff alike?
• If the answer to question 41 is negative: why not?
• Are you willing to initiate an independent investigation into how the COA handles safety incidents, their registration, and the functioning of internal complaints procedures?