Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) has defended the departure center for migrants with no prospect of asylum. “The goal was not to distribute people with no prospects among local communities, but rather to prepare them for departure there—above all, to offer return counseling and to end their stay on a voluntary basis whenever possible,” he said during a debate in the state parliament. The number of voluntary departures has risen sharply.
The State Must Enforce Its Rules
“Only a state that enforces its rules can create lasting acceptance for protection and integration,” said Schuster. The people of Saxony rightly expect that those required to leave the country will actually do so. “Only by fulfilling this mandate can we strengthen confidence in this state’s ability to act.”
The debate was prompted by a motion from The Left, in which they called, among other things, for the closure of the state departure center that opened a year ago. “Many people come to Saxony after a dangerous journey. They want to learn German, attend an integration course, and make friends. They want to start vocational training and hope for a normal life,” said MP Nam Duy Nguyen. Then they learn that another EU country is responsible for them because they transited through that country.
Left Party politician describes the odyssey of those affected
“But that country usually does not take them back: in 2024 and 2025, only 11 percent of German Dublin requests led to a transfer,” the politician emphasized. Those affected would then be housed in collective shelters for months or even years. “Although they have not committed any crime, they are held in prison-like conditions. Those who are eventually able to file an asylum application have lost a lot of time instead of being given the chance to integrate.”
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