According to Interior Minister Armin Schuster, the Saxon State Departure Center (LAZ) has led to a significant increase in the voluntary return of people required to leave the country. The CDU politician said in response to an inquiry that the intensive return consultations were making a significant contribution to the fact that this form of return, which is the most acceptable for all parties involved, was increasingly taking place.
Significant increase in voluntary departures
According to the Ministry of the Interior, Saxony recorded 1,509 verified voluntary departures by the end of November. This was around 560 more than in the whole of 2024. "The further increase in the number of voluntary departures on our own responsibility and accompanied voluntary departures proves that the mere existence of the facility or the announcement of the transfer to the LAZ has an effect on those affected," said Schuster. The experiences with the facility will be evaluated to improve further operations.
The center is a pilot project that the CDU and SPD had agreed on in their coalition agreement. The Saxon state directorate put it into operation last June. It was initially scheduled to run for one year.
The aim is to be able to better and more quickly return people who are required to leave the country and for whom there is no immediate obstacle to deportation to their home countries. They are not to be distributed to the Saxon municipalities, as was previously the case, and provide relief there.
13 deportations and 10 voluntary departures from LAZ
The residents are subject to reporting obligations with close-meshed presence and absence checks, and intensive advice on voluntary departure is provided. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 83 men were housed in the facility in mid-December. Since it opened in June, there have been a total of 122 residents, 13 of whom were deported or transferred to another country and ten of whom left voluntarily.
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