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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Helen Pidd and Eli Block

‘No other option’: inside the refugee camp for trans Americans fleeing Trump

Jane Michelle Arc
Last year, 76 Americans claimed asylum in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch asylum and immigration ministry, up from nine in 2024. Photograph: Judith Jockel/The Guardian

Ter Apel, a small, unassuming Dutch town near the German border, is a place tourists rarely have on their itinerary. There are no lovely old windmills, no cannabis-filled coffee shops and on a recent visit it was far too early for tulip season.

When foreigners end up there, it is for one reason: to claim asylum at the Netherlands’ biggest refugee camp, home to 2,000 desperate people from all around the world.

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