Number of asylum seekers in Saxony halved - Refugee Council expresses concerns

The number of asylum seekers in Saxony fell by more than half in the first half of 2024. From January to June, 4,605 refugees came to Saxony, according to an answer from the Ministry of the Interior to a question from MP Juliane Nagel (Left Party). Last year, there were 10,048 refugees during this period, according to the Saxony State Directorate. Most asylum seekers in 2024 came from Syria (882), Venezuela (851) and Afghanistan (447).

For the first time in two years, refugees from other federal states were assigned to Saxony again. As a result, 4,703 people moved to the Free State. The figures do not include displaced persons from Ukraine. As a rule, they do not have to apply for asylum due to special EU protection regulations.

According to the state directorate, there are currently 2,487 asylum seekers and 279 refugees from Ukraine living in the initial reception facilities - there would be room for 6,825 refugees.

Refugee Council has major concerns

The Saxon Refugee Council sees many reasons for the decline in numbers, such as the increasing rejections at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic. According to a press release, Dave Schmidtke, spokesperson for the Refugee Council, has major concerns about this. "We still have no knowledge of how the federal police justify the direct denial of asylum applications."

According to the statement, those affected repeatedly described difficulties with translations at the border. The Refugee Council is therefore calling for independent monitoring of border controls. "Violence against people to prevent them from fleeing must never be considered a success in a state governed by the rule of law," said Schmidtke.