Migration: Deportation facility in Volkstedt not before 2027

According to the Interior Ministry, Saxony-Anhalt's deportation security facility (ASE) will not start before the second quarter of 2027. The building is to be built by the end of 2026, followed by the facility's IT equipment by the beginning/middle of the second quarter of 2027, according to a ministry spokesperson. "After that, occupancy should begin." The ASE, with 30 places, is being built next to the Volkstedt prison near the state border with Thuringia, where there are currently plans for a separate deportation facility. A person can be taken into deportation detention under strict legal conditions if they are required to leave the country and, for example, there is a risk that they will go into hiding or resist deportation.

Last year, 654 people were deported from Saxony-Anhalt, 22 percent more than the year before. However, by the end of August alone, 886 repatriations had failed - often because the people could not be found. The same person may be deported several times. The statistics also include cancelled repatriations, according to the Interior Ministry .

Will there be enough staff?

The Interior Ministry expects that 35 employees will be required for the new facility in Volkstedt, working in shifts. "The State Administration Office has initiated a corresponding permanent advertisement. There is still a high demand for new staff." The prison officers planned for future deployment in the ASE will be trained by the Saxony-Anhalt prison service. According to the Interior Ministry, seven candidates have been recruited so far.

"Since the ASE is not yet in operation, according to the agreement, the fully trained probationary officers will initially be transferred from the State Administration Office of Saxony-Anhalt to facilities of the Saxony-Anhalt prison system; they are essentially 'loaned'," the Interior Ministry continued.

This is what the plans look like in nearby Thuringia

In the neighboring state of Thuringia, the Blackberry coalition of CDU, BSW and SPD plans to create the first ten deportation detention places by the middle of the year in the current youth detention center in Arnstadt, with 37 places expected to be available by 2026. The youth detention center is to move.

The Interior Ministry in Magdeburg explained that deportation detention and exit custody facilities are used across federal states - the center's detention center service is there to help with this. This is also planned for the Volkstedt detention center, so that Thuringia could also use the facility as part of the free spaces - not used by Saxony-Anhalt. "Thuringia has never approached us about further cooperation," said a ministry spokesman.

The Saxon state government also wants to increase the success rate of returns and relieve the burden on municipalities by setting up a deportation center. The CDU and SPD want to test such a center first and have included it in the coalition agreement. Where exactly it will be built is still unclear. Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) said in December 2024 that it should be set up in a refugee shelter in the Free State.