The establishment of two designated transfer centers in Hamburg and Eisenhüttenstadt, Brandenburg, has not yet resulted in a noticeable increase in deportations to other EU member states. According to information released by the Hamburg Department of Internal Affairs and Sport in response to a request from the news magazine Focus, just 39 individuals were transferred from the Hamburg facility between February and August of this year. The Eisenhüttenstadt center facilitated the transfer of only five individuals to other member states during the same period, bringing the total to 44 deportations from both centers within a six-month timeframe.
Currently, the centers are operating well below capacity. The Hamburg facility has a capacity of 300 individuals but currently houses just 13. In Brandenburg, eleven individuals are accommodated, with a potential for housing up to 60.
In contrast, nationwide deportations during the same comparison period numbered 3,408. Bavaria led with 632 transfers, followed by Baden-Württemberg with 459, Hessen with 171 and Saxony-Anhalt with 114. The remaining federal states conducted significantly more transfers than the Dublin centers.
Migration researcher Hannes Schammann, from Hildesheim University, explains that the centers’ current inefficiency stems from a fundamental issue: “To facilitate a transfer of an asylum seeker, the consent of the respective member state is required. Without this consent, no transfer can take place and the Dublin centers do nothing to change that”. He further observes that the centers may be having an unintended consequence: “They contribute to preventing integration. Individuals essentially live in isolation within the facilities and are unable to pursue employment”.