The Tony Rollman asylum reception center in Kirchberg, Luxembourg, has been making headlines for months after images were repeatedly leaked from the facility apparently showing low hygiene standards and an overall substandard level of maintenance.

Residents at the center have also reported a lack of privacy, taking pictures and video of the state of the facility and leaking these to the press over the course of recent months; outside visitors — including the media — are not allowed at the Tony Rollman center to confirm these accounts.

Galina, a Ukrainian refugee staying at the Tony Rollman Center with her three children told the private RTL broadcaster last year that she didn't feel safe at the facility:

"For me, safety does not just mean being far from the war. It is also about dignity and clarity, and I want to protect my children," she explained.

Another Ukrainian resident of the center meanwhile shared that his son had suffered a gastrointestinal illness, which he said the doctor he had consulted had blamed on the poor hygiene standards of the facility.

An unfit reception system?

Campaigners have shared pictures of overflowing bins, soiled toilet seats and grimy, overflowing bathroom sinks with mold infestations— among other reported shortcomings, with some of the most recent complaints dating only back to last week.

Those recent images were shared by Inna Yaremenko, an ombudsman working for Ukrainian refugees in Luxembourg, who said in a social media post that providing cleaning services was not enough to meet expectations.

"This is not about cleaning or repairs. It is about the entire refugee reception system, which no longer meets today's challenges. This place should not even be here anymore," Yaremenko said in her post, while admitting that things had been cleaned up more recently.

"As a Representative of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, I have been receiving complaints and testimonies for over a year regarding the appalling living conditions in this center," Yaramenko added.

Government says refugees are also responsible for hygiene

However, the government has now responded to allegations of negligence, highlighting the fact that it employs cleaners to tidy up the facility seven days a week, and adding that there were also caretakers and social support workers also in charge of ensuring cleanliness and order.

The Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees meanwhile told the Luxembourg Times newspaper that residents of the center were equally responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of the facility:

"Social support plays an essential role in raising awareness among residents about basic hygiene rules and rules for a respectful living together. Respecting these rules helps maintain a safe and healthy environment for all residents."

The ministry added that "the National Office for Reception (ONA) works on a daily basis to ensure that individuals accommodated in its facilities benefit from living conditions that fully meet requirements in terms of safety, hygiene, and dignity." 

"To this end, all necessary measures are implemented to guarantee their safety on a continuous basis," the statement continued.

In a previous statement, the ministry had emphasised that all ONA accommodation centers met European standards, despite facing significant strain and adding that "it cannot be ruled out that acts of vandalism and damage may still occur frequently."

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Luxembourg: reception system at capacity

The Tony Rollman reception center in Kirchberg was established in 2022 to provide emergency shelter to asylum seekers in Luxembourg — especially in response to the arrival of Ukrainian war refugees after Russia's invasion.

The facility was originally meant to serve as a temporary shelter, with a large, semi-solid marquee covering the whole area; inside, people have to stay in tents, with shared toilets and ablution units provided.

Yaramenko stressed in a post that the center had been "designed for temporary accommodation and a small number of refugees, yet it has been operating for several years."

The government meanwhile confirmed that its current accommodation network for refugees was almost at capacity.

Back in late September 2025, Luxembourg's Family and Integration Minister Max Hahn acknowledged that some of the country's asylum shelters were below standard, but stressed that the government had no plans to close any of the centers amid the ongoing shortfall in places.

Many residents live in fear of speaking up

Complaints have also been amassing at other asylum centers in Luxembourg — such as the facility in Ettelbruck, where showers are located in outdoor containers and toilets across a courtyard.

The Luxembourg Times reported that at an asylum facility in Soleuvre, around 30 women reportedly had to share a single dormitory surrounded by black mold infestations, and in Mondercange, up to ten men were believed to have to sleep in the same room.

Meanwhile in Mersch, residents were housed in a building with no windows, and residents in Esch-sur-Alzette said they had to place buckets in their rooms to catch water dripping from the ceiling, the Luxembourg Times also highlighted.

RTL meanwhile said that some of the centers also lacked facilities explicitly designed for children, without elaborating in greater detail.

Meanwhile, there's also a sense that the complaints that make it out of these facilities could only be the tip of the iceberg:

Serge Kollwelter, a refugee rights' campaigner in Luxembourg, told RTL that many refugees, migrants and asylum seekers hesitate to fully express their views in fear of suffering repercussions: 

"While their files are still being processed, their situation is precarious, and it's difficult to speak up, although their circumstances, as one can see from the photos, would absolutely justify criticism," he told the private broadcaster.

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