Germany's federal state of Thuringia wants to further restrict its asylum policies by housing failed asylum seekers from certain safe countries of origin in reception centers until their deportation is completed, rather than distributing them across the state as was the case until recently. The plan, however, has attracted considerable criticism.
Thuringia plans to house rejected asylum seekers from certain safe countries of origin in initial reception facilities in the municipalities of Suhl and Eisenberg until they can successfully be deported.
The federal state's Ministry of Migration in Erfurt said that asylum seekers from the following countries will be affected immediately by the decision: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Senegal and Serbia.
The state government says it wants to make sure that no one can abscond from a deportation order, and that the number of returns can be increased this way. Furthermore, the move is also designed to ease the burden placed on districts and cities.
Thuringia's Migration Minister Beate Meissner referred to the new directive as "an important step towards implementing the core objectives of the state government in the field of migration," and said the decision amounted to a "turning point in migration policy."
The plan is intended to be further expanded in the future, with failed asylum seekers from other safe countries of origin also earmarked to be kept in the state reception facilities until their deportation.
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Asylum cases down in Thuringia
The number of asylum seekers from so-called safe countries of origin distributed across the state meanwhile has been declining in Thuringia in the past two years, according to the state's administration office (Landesverwaltungsamt).
In 2023, just under 1,000 people from safe countries were distributed to Thuringia's districts and cities. In the first quarter of 2025, there were only 139 asylum seekers from safe countries.
The number of new asylum applicants in Thuringia has also been shrinking, with a 12 percent decrease in 2024 compared to the previous year.
This change is also notable by looking at the state's initial reception centers: Currently, there are only 174 people housed at the facility in Suhl; in the past, there were periods with over 1,000 asylum seekers being accommodated there.
Meanwhile, a total of 443 people were deported from Thuringia last year, according to official figures, with more than half of them coming from safe countries of origin.
Most of these rejected asylum seekers came from Georgia (86), North Macedonia (78) and Serbia (48).
Criticism against state directive
However, it is not clear why Ghana was included in new directive: only four people have actually been deported from Thuringia to Ghana since 2020, averaging less than a person annually.
The Thuringia Refugee Council meanwhile has criticized the new directive, stressing that the right to asylum is based on individual merit and cannot be prescribed solely on the grounds of someone belonging to a particular country of origin.
In an interview with the state broadcaster MDR, a spokesperson for the Thuringia Refugee Council said that similar regulations applied in other federal states had led to major problems.
Some opposition political parties have also rejected the decree, with the Greens also saying that the decree was disrespectful towards the individual right to asylum, and the Left Party stating that the state government was potentially embarking on a legally questionable path.
Local governments, however, have welcomed the decision, with the President of the Thuringian Association of Districts saying that the move was a "major step in the right direction."
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Thuringia's tough stance
The state of Thuringia is one of the few federal states in Germany where the state government has proactively taken a stance in favor of deportations.
In February, state Migration Minister Meissner came out in support of returns to Afghanistan, saying that certain people had to be deported to the Islamic republic to "preserve our constitutional order and protect our population."
"We need more deportations and fewer excuses for tolerating [failed asylum seekers from Afghanistan]. And this is precisely where the federal states need the fastest possible support [from the central government in Berlin]," she states at the time in a press release.
Her comments came after a series of deadly attacks across Germany, which were carried out by asylum seekers affiliated with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS).
"Rather than repeatedly examining what steps can be taken to extend the stay of illegal immigrants, it is time to apply the law consistently. We will do this now. Anyone who has no right to asylum or commits serious crimes must leave our country as quickly as possible," Meissner added, doubling down on her approach.
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No money for deportations
However, the actual execution of deportations is yet another thorn in the state government's side. The state budget has hardly any wiggle room for additional capacities to carry out returns.
The opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party submitted a motion to set up a specific deportation hub at the Erfurt-Weimar Airport, requiring an investment of at least 34 million euros.
The AfD says that anyone with an uncertain residency status would be housed there while their cases are being reviewed, and sent back home immediately if they fail their case.
Even the new directive by the state government serves to highlight just how cash-strapped Thuringia is at the moment: The initial reception facility in Suhl was actually due to be closed, with plans to open a new facility elsewhere. The facility in Eisenberg meanwhile was supposed to be expanded.
However, under the budgetary current situation and with the new directive, neither of those plans can actually be carried out on account of lacking funds.
The AfD meanwhile insists that the state budget should be restructured to make greater allowances for deportation measures, and has even announced plans to filed a lawsuit with the Thuringian Constitutional Court against the current budget.
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