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Saxony has taken in more and more asylum seekers in recent years. Their number halved with the tightened border controls in 2024. Deportations and voluntary departures increased.
The new German migration policy has also been met with criticism in Poland. At a meeting in Warsaw, the interior ministers of both countries struck a conciliatory tone.
Saxony's Commissioner for Foreigners has presented his annual report. It shows a significant decline in the number of refugees.
For more than three weeks, more police officers have been deployed at the German borders. In the neighboring Czech Republic, this is only partially met with understanding. But they want to stay in contact.
Saxony's Interior Minister Schuster had long called for border controls in order to curb irregular migration. He believes that a new decision by the federal government also fulfills his demands.
People who want to take their own lives are often in a desperate situation. This also applies to refugees who see no way out for themselves.
The new federal government has announced increased controls at the external borders. Additional federal police officers are now on duty at the borders in Saxony.
Before the election, the CDU/CSU announced that it would rely on more border controls and refoulement to curb illegal migration. Saxony's Interior Minister welcomes this.
Slightly fewer rejected asylum seekers were deported from Saxony in the first quarter. However, there were significantly more who left the country voluntarily.
In future, rejected asylum seekers will no longer be distributed to the municipalities in the Free State, but will be housed centrally until they leave the country.
Rising population, growing pressure: Leipzig receives a direct loan from the Council of Europe Bank for the first time. Among other things, the loan will be used to expand schools and accommodation for those in need.
Money has become scarce in public coffers. Funding for cultural projects has been cut or no longer approved. In eastern Saxony, an ambitious theater project has been affected.
Refugees fear more isolation, a tougher migration policy and cuts in social services after the federal elections. The situation is becoming increasingly serious, they say.
The police have apparently foiled an attack on a hostel for refugees in Brandenburg. An arrest warrant has been issued for a 21-year-old.
A 21-year-old is said to have armed himself with explosives in order to attack a hostel for asylum seekers in Brandenburg. But after an anonymous tip-off, the police are able to prevent worse.
The inclusion of children from migrant families in everyday school life is a challenge. Preparatory classes are intended to make this easier. Saxony wants to step up the pace.
Germany extended border controls in September 2024. The much-discussed measure is working, says the Interior Minister - and orders an extension.
Rising case numbers are pushing the staff at Diakonie Sachsen to their limits when it comes to migration counseling. Added to this are financial difficulties.
Did the Saxon authorities act inhumanely when deporting a Georgian family? The accounts of the Refugee Council and the State Directorate differ.
Reactions to the CDU's plans for a tougher migration policy are fierce. The CDU/CSU in Saxony takes offense at a post by its coalition partner, the SPD.
The protest follows hot on the heels. In a vote on migration policy, the AfD becomes a majority procurer for the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag for the first time. The streets of the country are filled with discontent.
The federal police have been carrying out checks at Saxony's borders with Poland and the Czech Republic since October 2023. Since then, significantly fewer people have entered the country without valid papers.
Union chancellor candidate Merz is sticking to proposals for a tougher migration policy despite criticism, even if the AfD agrees. In Saxony, he has the support of the CDU/CSU.
The Hardship Commission is often the last hope for foreigners facing deportation. It can apply for a residence permit for urgent humanitarian or personal reasons.
In the previous year, 936 people were deported from Saxony - a third of whom were convicted criminals. Meanwhile, plans for a departure center are progressing.
Three large asylum shelters in each of the three regions of Chemnitz, Leipzig and Dresden - that is the strategy of the Free State of Saxony. One of the facilities is to be located in Waldheim.
The Saxon Refugee Council repeatedly draws attention to cases in which asylum seekers are deported despite difficult personal circumstances. The criticism continues.
Significantly fewer asylum applications were submitted in Saxony in 2024 than in the previous year. A trend that is reflected throughout Germany.
At times, newly arriving refugees in Saxony were housed in tents. The situation in the initial reception facilities is now much more relaxed.
Deportations of rejected asylum seekers often fail because the people concerned cannot be found. Saxony wants to counter this with an exit center.
The CDU and CSU want to reduce migration and turn back refugees at the borders if they enter from an EU country, for example. The CDU/CSU in Saxony is also backing this.
Following the change of power in Syria, many refugees may want to return to their home country. Saxony would like to expand its support for returnees.
The controls at the borders with the Czech Republic and Poland appear to be having an effect. Although the international conflicts are not decreasing, the number of refugees arriving in Saxony is falling.
Since April, asylum seekers have been given a payment card instead of cash. The Refugee Council criticizes this measure. Initiatives are now offering the exchange for cash
Support programs are intended to encourage refugees without the right to stay to return to their home country. The number of returnees in Saxony has risen recently.
Refugees can take legal action against a rejection of their asylum application. The files are piling up at the administrative courts - and the proceedings are taking longer again.
Stationary border controls have been in place at all German land borders since mid-September. The number of unauthorized entries is falling. However, this also has to do with another aspect.
So far this year, 90 more people have been deported from Saxony than in 2023, almost 240 in the third quarter alone.
Border controls are not actually planned in the Schengen area. However, the German Interior Minister has ordered them for a number of reasons. Now there are figures for the first nine months of the year.
Despite difficult consultations, the heads of state have agreed on a package of demands for managing migration. Among other things, the revival of the so-called Dublin III agreement was central.
Border controls are not actually planned in the Schengen area. However, irregular migration and security risks leave no other choice, says the Minister of the Interior. Now there are new figures.
Michael Kretschmer wants to adapt the basic right to asylum to the current migration figures. Whether the heads of the federal states will support this will be decided at the meeting in Leipzig.
The coalition government wanted to grant the security authorities more powers to compare biometric data. However, the Bundesrat stopped the law for the time being - Saxony did not want to support it either.
Despite border controls, people try to enter Germany irregularly. They are often dependent on people smugglers. The Federal Police repeatedly pull smugglers out of circulation.
Asylum seekers in Saxony can be called upon to do community service. They are paid 80 cents per hour. In Stollberg, they now maintain green spaces. There is criticism from the Refugee Council.
Saxony honors civil society efforts to integrate young people with a migration background. The Sterntaler Prize is awarded by the Kinderschutzbund and the Free State of Saxony.
It is a shocking discovery. Police in the Czech Republic stop a truck with dozens of migrants in the back. For one woman, all help comes too late.
Migration was a dominant topic in the state election campaign. The Refugee Council criticizes unfounded scaremongering.
Ethically unacceptable: The Saxon Refugee Council has clearly criticized deportations of families. And makes a suggestion.
Every year, Saxony honors special commitment to integration and social cohesion. The application deadline is only a few days away.
Following the controversial presidential election in Venezuela, the political situation there is tense. The Saxon Refugee Council criticizes the fact that refugees are still being deported there.
In spring, the number of people arriving in Germany via Belarus and Poland without permission and often without papers increased. In June, the number of arrivals fell again slightly.
Coercion, assault, incitement to hatred: time and again, asylum seekers are the target of attacks. According to provisional statistics, the numbers have recently fallen. Regional focuses are striking.
Coercion, assault, incitement to hatred: time and again, asylum seekers in Germany are the target of verbal or physical attacks. The regional focus is striking.
Migration remains an ongoing topic in Saxon politics and plays an important role in the election campaign. However, views on the right way to deal with it differ widely in some cases.
Since October, the federal police have stepped up checks at the borders to Poland and the Czech Republic. Figures are now available on the number of people who entered the country without authorization in the first half of the year.
The number of asylum seekers in Saxony fell by more than half in the first half of 2024. The Refugee Council expresses concerns about the reasons for the decline.
Since October, the federal police have stepped up checks at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. Nationwide figures are now available on people entering the country without authorization in the first half of the year.
The number of deportations of rejected asylum seekers in Saxony continues to rise. This year, 487 people have already been deported, mainly from Tunisia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia and Turkey.
Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer demands a solution to the refugee issue from the federal government and speaks out in favor of a 'breathing upper limit' for migration. He draws a positive balance of his government's work and warns against hate crime and extremism.
The Saxon Refugee Council is calling for an improvement in the accommodation situation and easier access to the labor market for refugees.
The Saxon Association of Towns and Municipalities (Sächsischer Städte- und Gemeindetag - SSG) has lamented the increasing financial deficits of local authorities and called for additional funding for refugee costs, among other things.
Saxony's Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping is calling for the establishment of an 'Asylum Steering Committee' to deal with the rising numbers of refugees.