Darmstadt: between deportation detention and a safe harbor

Actors and Actions

The vigil for a humane refugee policy, it takes place every third Monday of the month from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Luisenplatz. It is organized by the Asylum coordination group Darmstadt. Info: asylkreis-darmstadt.de

The deportation detention facility in Darmstadt has existed since 2018. Currently 17 people are accommodated there. It is designed for 80 people.

Darmstadt joined the international movement “Seebrücke – Safe Haven” in 2019. The city is thus showing solidarity with people on the move.

Halima Gutale is the founder of the Halima Aktiv für Afrika association. Contact: [email protected]

LGBT * IQ refugees supports the association Vielbunt. Contact at [email protected]

The alliance Community for all is an association of various initiatives and private individuals. Info: communityforall.noblogs.org cka

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So-called prison quakes take place again and again, and there are repeated demonstrations against deportations – as in the case of 25-year-old Adnan G. from Darmstadt, who was temporarily imprisoned in October 2020 during his training. To this day he does not know whether a petition submitted for him will be successful, says Samar Khan from the “We are Pakistan” association. Numerous organizations take part in the protests, and the PIA volunteers visit those affected in custody. The Protestant St. Matthew Congregation offers church asylum. Seven people currently live in two apartments, says Pastor Andreas Schwöbel.

The organization Vielbunt is committed to asylum seekers from the queer spectrum. Stefan Kräh from the Rainbow Refugees project describes how difficult it is for them to prove their sexual orientation, for which they are persecuted in their home countries, to the local authorities.

“Refugees are the ambassadors of injustice in the world,” says pro-asylum founder Jürgen Mieksch. Germany and Europe would have to listen to these people. But instead, their death will be accepted. Halima Gutale, integration officer for the city of Pfungstadt, also accuses: “How can it not be a criminal offense when we watch women and children drown?” Darmstadt declared itself a safe haven in 2019, but at the same time Darmstadt researchers supported the European border protection agency Frontex. “What good is this safe city for us if inhuman politics continues?” Mayor Jochen Partsch (Greens) “is too quiet when it comes to such things”. Most recently, the city launched an appeal for donations in October 2020 in order to partially sponsor the sea rescue ship “Sea-Eye 4” for one year. This action is only one of many steps that made the commitment of the city clear, the city announced on FR request. The appeal for donations, which brought in 7,000 euros, was preceded by “many intensive efforts by the Lord Mayor with regard to the unbearable situation of those seeking protection in the camps at the EU’s external borders”. Partsch wrote personally to Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) and Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) and appealed to “allow those in need of protection to be admitted as soon as possible” to the Federal Republic. As early as 2019, the city announced its willingness to take in 50 more refugees from the sea rescue. Unfortunately, this request went unheeded by the federal authorities.

The city wants to force a rethink in asylum policy by participating in networks and alliances. For example at the conference “From the Sea to the City – A Conference of Cities for an Inviting Europe”, which was just taking place in Palermo. Darmstadt accepted the joint declaration of solidarity. Its aim is to change attitudes towards migration in Europe and to influence the public debate.

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