Lower Austria to close five more asylum homes

Five more asylum homes are to close in Lower Austria, ORF reported. The sites are in Groß Gerungs in Zwettl district, Krems, Wasenbruck in the municipality of Mannersdorf, Unterwaltersdorf and Wieselburg, according to state councillor Martin Antauer of the Freedom Party of Austria.

Most of the accommodation sites had space for fewer than 20 people, APA research found. The home in Groß Gerungs could house up to 60. The facilities had recently been much less occupied.

“The protection of our fellow citizens, our women, children and families always comes first for us,” Antauer said. He said his party had promised to make Lower Austria as unattractive as possible as a destination for asylum seekers and to “drain the swamp of asylum and illegal migration”.

The latest closures bring to 11 the number of accommodation facilities shut in recent months following an evaluation. Earlier closures were reported in Michelhausen, Bruck an der Leitha, Schottwien, St. Pölten, Tulln and Schrems.