Protest at BER: Initiative calls for the controversial refugee center to be stopped

Protest at BER: Initiative calls for the controversial refugee center to be stopped

Things are really bubbling up at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). Today, July 14, 2025, a large demonstration took place against the planned entry and exit center for refugees, which, according to current information from the Ministry of the Interior in Potsdam, is expected to open its doors in early 2028. What was initially supposed to be completed by a private investor by 2026 is now encountering strong resistance among residents and refugee organizations.

Around 100 people gathered today in front of the town hall in Schönefeld to protest against the construction project. The “Prevent BER Deportation Center” initiative has clear demands: They want the development plan for the asylum center to be rejected and are vehemently committed to stopping the project entirely. The demonstrators called for an end to deportation detention and asylum procedures at airports. This is a burning issue for many because they see human dignity at risk.

A controversial building project

The planned center, which will function as an authority location, will bundle the necessary tasks for the entry and exit of migrants. The state will rent the building from a private investor. The project also received criticism because of the lack of public tender. Police accompanied the protest, which sought to draw attention to the human rights implications of such a center.

As part of the protest, the initiative plans to hand over an official statement at the town hall on Wednesday and hold a vigil. The local council also meets on this day, which marks an exciting turn in the coming discussions about the asylum center. And it's not just the local level that seems to be affected, but supra-regional aspects are also being taken into account: the federal government has announced that it will rent office space in the center, which increases concerns about functionality and humanity.

Legal situation and human rights aspects

Like that Institute for Human Rights clarifies, rejections at German borders violate important human rights requirements and European law. The ongoing controls at internal borders could also lead to illegal returns, which calls European asylum policy into question.

There are also indications from various quarters that the number of asylum applications in Germany will have fallen by around 30 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. This decline raises questions about the need for measures that could violate not only international agreements but also the human rights of asylum seekers.

The groups concerned call for an individual assessment of the human rights status of each asylum seeker to ensure that no one is subjected to torture or inhumane treatment as a result of deportation or refoulement. A forced collective expulsion, as could possibly take place in a deportation center, would be a clear violation of these fundamental principles.

Given all these complications and the ongoing protests, it remains to be seen how the dialogue between authorities, municipalities and civil society will develop. There is a lot to clarify in Schönefeld and far beyond.