Asylum minister Marjolein Faber’s plans to introduce a stricter regime for disruptive asylum seekers are not ready to be launched on June 1, authorities responsible for carrying them out have warned.

The local council in Westerwolde and the accommodation agency COA have both said the necessary arrangements are not in place, despite Faber telling parliament last month that “everything is in order” and “the migration hierarchy is ready for it.”

According to reports in the Volkskrant, the mayor of Westerwolde, Jaap Velema, even urged the minister to delay her announcement, but Faber “made a different decision”, Velema told a recent council meeting.

Under Faber’s plans, asylum seekers who cause trouble at the reception centre in Ter Apel would initially be subjected to a “light regime” of increased supervision and a requirement to register at the centre twice a day.

Repeat offenders would be moved to a more restricted facility and banned from travelling outside the immediate vicinity of the Ter Apel accommodation centre.

Attempts by previous governments to introduce a similar regime were struck down by the courts, which said the sanctions were too intrusive and did not reflect individual circumstances or the severity of the offence.

Police capacity

The council said police would struggle to enforce the rules, which were “in our eyes unrealistic given the limited capacity that we have,” according to a spokesman quoted in the Volkskrant.

The COA said it was working hard to ensure that the rules were legally watertight and would be applied consistently through the asylum system.

It also raised concerns about whether it could guarantee “a safe working environment” for its employees and said “some preparation time will be needed before we can begin.”

The ministry for asylum and migration did not respond to requests from the newspaper for comment.