Growth of refugees in Gießen: Where do you really come from?

Growth of refugees in Gießen: Where do you really come from?

In the Hessian initial reception facility in Gießen, the Situation has changed significantly in recent months. Around 330 refugees are currently registered there every week. This is in clear contrast to the figures of the previous year, when the weekly access regularly between 500 and 700. Department manager Manfred Becker attributes this decline to increased control at the borders, which makes it difficult to enter refugees. The usual “autumn wave” of arrivals in the past year also failed to materialize, which is due to fewer landings in the Mediterranean. Seasonal factors and the measures of the Mediterranean countries play a role here, such as FR.DE reported.

The majority of the newcomers are currently from Ukraine. In the initial reception facility (EAEH), the refugees are registered, examined by a doctor and their fingerprints are taken. People who have already been registered in another European country, so-called "Dublin Falls", are transferred to the responsible country. Refugees who have no Dublin status temporarily live in Gießen or other locations before they are distributed to different municipalities. However, this distribution only takes place if there is a prospect of staying.

Current occupancy and financial support

The initial reception facility has a total of eight locations and an emergency accommodation in Alsfeld, which offers a capacity of 11,750 seats. 6,406 of these places are currently occupied, around 2,000 of them in Gießen. In the endeavor to modernize the financial matters, the refugees receive a monthly pocket money of 173 euros, which is gradually switched to payment cards. This process is largely smooth, since many of those arriving are already familiar with card payment. By the end of the week, around 1,200 payment cards are to be spent on the refugees. This was also taken up by fr.de

The statistics for 2024 show that a total of 14,772 asylum seekers were registered in Hesse, which corresponds to a significant decline compared to the 22,868 people in 2023. The main origin countries of asylum seekers are Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iran, Eritrea, Guinea, Algeria and the Russian Federation. On December 27, 2024, a total of 6,414 people were housed in the EAEH, with about 70 % of the workforce male and 30 % female. In addition, children made up about 20 % of the total occupancy, as integrationskompass.hessen.de represents.

special features of unaccompanied minors

Another important aspect are the unaccompanied minor foreigners (UMA). In December 2024, 53 UMA came from Afghanistan (39.85 %), 16 from Syria and 16 from Somalia. These special groups represent a further challenge for integrative work in the initial reception facilities. The nationwide EASY procedure serves to first distribute asylum seekers across Germany. Young adults, i.e. those who have reached the age of 18 but are not yet 27 years old, also fall under the regulations for UMA, which illustrates the need for comprehensive and adapted support for this group.