Today, the Brandenburg state parliament passed the budget for the years 2023 and 2024. With this, the budget for the planned deportation center at BER Airport was also decided – including a commitment of 315 million euros for rent and leases. We strongly criticize this decision of the state parliament and politicians! The planned deportation center will unite all institutions to enable a speedy processing of asylum procedures and deportations: Whether in airport asylum procedures, transit detention or deportation custody, people will be imprisoned in Schönefeld during the asylum procedure and until they are deported. Approximately 120 places are to be created for such detention of people.
Broad protest ignored
Over the past weeks and months our initiative has called-out the racist logics and brutality of this project through a diverse range of protest and actions, and has repeatedly urged the politicians responsible to strike the funding of the deportation center from the budget. In a joint statement, more than 80 organizations and initiatives called on the state of Brandenburg to prevent the construction. Over 20,000 people have so far signed the petition against the deportation center. The investigations of FragDenStaat, ARD Kontraste and rbb24 in August revealed numerous inconsistencies regarding the planning process and the cooperation between Brandenburg and the previously convicted investor Jürgen B. Harder, who will make millions of euros in profit from the deportation center over the next 30 years. The federal state parliament decided today to ignore all of this. Only two delegates of the Greens abstained during the negotiations on Wednesday – a gesture that is not only ineffective but also comes too late.
The resistance continues, now more than ever!
The passing of the budget represents a devastating step in the wrong direction. We are angry and disappointed. However, we were under no illusions, this decision of the state parliament has been a long time coming, and does not come as a surprise. It is clear to us – even more so today – that we cannot and must not rely on political decision-makers. Our struggle continues until the BER deportation center is stopped! Join our protest, plan your own actions and come to the Stop Deportation protest camp in June 2023 in Schönefeld!
Anti-racism and the fight for a world without borders stay in our hands!
