From early in the morning, around 400 people have been queuing outside the immigration office in Brussels. Those seeking asylum in Belgium need to register there. The look of exhaustion on their faces is obvious. Many have waited in line overnight in the desperate hope that they would be attended by the staff inside. One man from Iraq named Ahmed agreed to speak with euronews but only if his identity was hidden:

“I arrived here yesterday. I slept on the ground. I have no water and no food. It was always Europe, Europe, Europe. We believed it would be different here and certainly not like this,” explained Ahmed.

Since last month, the Brussels Immigration Office has been completely overwhelmed with the number of people looking for assistance.

“The Immigration Office has created two queues. On one side, it’s for those who were at the office yesterday. They received a paper, which gives them priority in the application process today. On the other side are the people who have just turned