The city of Reykjavík has adopt a new platform regarding asylum seekers, with an emphasis on moving their temporary shelter from Keflavík to Reykjavík.
Most asylum seekers arriving in Iceland will find themselves at Fit Hostel, in Keflavík. Many of them have complained about feeling isolated, largely ignored, and without access to basic services, if they even know what they are in the first place. DV now reports that members of the Red Cross Iceland, the Human Rights Office of Iceland and No Borders Reykjavík met with Reykjavík mayor Jón Gnarr to discuss asylum seeker issues.
At the meeting’s conclusion, the city announced a statement of willingness to move the home for asylum seekers from Keflavík to Reykjavík. In this way, Gnarr said, asylum seekers will be able to have access to lawyers, councillors, and other services much more easily, apart from hopefully making them feel less isolated.
An asylum seeker from Ethiopia, Kassahun, told DV, “My experience at Fit is that people there live in isolation. There is often a lot of uncertainty about the future, whether they’ll get to remain here or be sent out of the country. They often feel bad and get very tired of waiting. By moving the home for asylum seekers to Reykjavík, the isolation they feel can be prevented.”
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