Criticism of the Dublin Center: Refugees demand better conditions!

Criticism of the Dublin Center: Refugees demand better conditions!

Brandenburg's refugee council has expressed sharp criticism of the conditions in the new Dublin Center in Eisenhüttenstadt. In a published letter, refugee persons report on limited privacy, restrictions on movement and a nightly lock. Many of these asylum seekers who entered Germany via Poland describe inhumane treatment in Poland. These reports throw a bright light on the challenges and problems within the Dublin system, which aims to regulate the return of asylum seekers without the right to stay.

The center was only opened in March and serves to accommodate asylum seekers who come from Poland. It is located on the site of the central immigration authority and has two parts of the building: one for women and families traveling alone and another men traveling alone. The center offers space for an estimated 150 people. Asylum seekers are obliged to stay in the center, until their future is decided. The aim is that the procedure does not take longer than two weeks to shorten the processing time.

criticism and legal aspects

The criticism of the refugee council is supplemented by statements by Brandenburg Interior Minister René Wilke (independent), who plans to review the need for the center. Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) demands clear legal foundations to limit irregular immigration. These demands come at a time when the Berlin administrative court decided that the rejection of three Somali asylum seekers was illegal, since the responsibility for their asylum applications was not clarified.

In the course of the tightened border controls, the federal police have rejected 160 asylum seekers since May 8. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) confirmed the intention of capturing this practice. The Dublin procedure based on the Dublin III Ordinance is intended to ensure that every asylum application is only checked in a Member State where the refugees first enter. However, this often leads to complicated situations in which asylum seekers are recorded in countries with poor rectification conditions.

challenges in the Dublin procedure

The Dublin Center has to deal with numerous challenges. Brandenburg's minister Lange emphasizes that the Dublin system needs a basic review. The return rate of exceeded persons is worrying: Around 40 percent quickly return to Germany, while when transferring to neighboring countries, this quota is even 70 percent. In addition, the participation of the EU member states is crucial for the success of the returns. In 2024, around 75,000 request to Dublin member states were provided to take over refugees, but only almost 6,000 people were actually transferred from them.

The question remains how the conditions for asylum seekers in the various member states can be improved in order to guarantee humane treatment and compliance with the legal standards. The BAMF informs that transfer must be made within a defined time frame and that responsibility for asylum applications changes when deadlines are missed. These mechanisms are necessary to maintain the legal order in the asylum procedure and to meet the refugee people.