A temporary center
The closure of this center may seem surprising. We know that since August 2023, for lack of places in the reception network, only men asking for asylum must register on a waiting list, priority given to families and women. In this month of April therefore, there are 2,600 men on the waiting list, many of whom are temporarily housed in the centers for homeless in Brussels, or have found refuge in squats, with friends or on the street.
If the center of Theux closes despite this context, it is because this reception center, installed in bungalows of a campsite, “had been a temporary center from the start for two years“, Specifies Louise Liénard spokesperson for Fedasil. The closure of early April was already decided when the center opened in 2024. Asylum seekers will therefore leave room for tourists, back in Theux and its Polleur campsite in summer.
“Use us, please. Try to use us”
Currently, Fedasil coordinates 35,726 places in its centers, and welcomes 33,487 people there, throughout the territory. The agency opens and closes places “In consultation and with the agreement of the cabinet of the Minister of Asylum and Migration”still specifies Louise Liénard. There are, for the time being, no future openings or closings that are planned while the minister of supervision, Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA), wishes, ultimately, reduce the number of reception places.
