Overview

• Ter Apel again exceeded the court‑set cap with 2,075 people housed overnight, pushing COA’s fines owed to Westerwolde to about €350,000.
• Minister Mona Keijzer ordered that family‑reunification cases with relatives in rental housing leave AZC sites immediately, a step she says could free roughly 2,000 places, though Westerwolde’s mayor cautioned the impact is unclear.
• The Association of Netherlands Municipalities sent a letter to the cabinet calling the situation unworkable and citing intimidation and violence against local officials, while a spokesperson for demissionary premier Dick Schoof said the letter will be studied.
• Municipal capacity plans faltered as Amersfoort temporarily withdrew proposed AZC locations with an apology for poor communication and the Voorhout site was dropped after COA said the business case would not add up; a tense Noordwijk meeting saw police disperse a crowd without arrests.
• After violent unrest linked to a Malieveld protest for stricter asylum policy, 14 suspects faced fast‑track hearings, with initial verdicts including a two‑week conditional jail term plus 60 hours’ community service; 37 arrests were made in total.