Resistance towards the asylum seekers’ center in the Municipality of Montferland: Explanations and the role of municipal action

Because of the dispersal law the municipality Montferland has made plans to place an asylum seekers center (AZC). This has evoked negative responses among residents. This qualitative research explores the reason behind this local resistance to asylum seekers reception. Furthermore, it explores whether the municipality can alleviate this resistance by justifying and legitimizing the placement of the AZC. To do this different data sources have been analyzed in which residents of the municipality share their experiences surrounding the placement of the AZC and how they perceive the actions of the municipality. The results show that the resistance largely originates from threats that residents experience on their safety, socio-economic position and culture through the arrival of an AZC. Furthermore, residents share concerns over the integrity of the municipality. Most concerns cannot be alleviated through the actions of the municipality in the placement of the AZC, however acceptance of the decision can be increased when residents perceive the decision to place the AZC as their own.