An Island Named Oder - Commissioner voices concerns over the operation of a departure center
Integration representative for Brandenburg, Diana Gonzalez Olivo, is skeptical about the proposed refugee transit center on the Oder Island at Küstrin-Kietz. Participating in a discussion on the matter, Olivo shared her thoughts with the German Press Agency in Potsdam. "It's crucial to assess the progress we've made in integration over the past few years and determine our future approach," she said. "A transit center doesn't align with that plan." Gonzalez Olivo plans to visit the Oder Island with members of the state integration council on Friday.
Several unanswered questions are still outstanding in relation to the center's design and legal framework, she noted. "We haven't finalized our decisions yet." To gather more information, she plans to visit the island herself. She prefers not to use the term "transit center," instead referring to it as a "deportation center." The social scientist and native Mexican has held her position since May.
The Oder Island, an abandoned military base near Küstrin-Kietz, is where the foreigners without residency prospects and set for deportation would be housed. The Refugee Council disapproves of creating a "cruel separation system." Located in the Märkisch-Oderland district, Küstrin-Kietz sits at the German-Polish border.
The residency act dictates that "a willingness to voluntarily leave should be encouraged and accessible for authorities and courts, and the implementation of departure should be ensured in the transit facilities." Residents can be forced to stay there under a residence decree but may temporarily depart the facility. Families, single women, couples, or care-dependent individuals and the sick are not intended to be housed there, according to the Interior Ministry.
The state's plan proposes setting up container homes with 200 to 250 places on the property. Existing buildings would be converted for dining or sports facilities. The ministry estimates the total cost at approximately 10 million Euros and plans to allocate the necessary funds from the 2025/2026 budget.
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Diana Gonzalez Olivo, the integration representative for Brandenburg, expressed concerns about the potential impact of integrating refugees in the proposed transit center at Küstrin-Kietz, which is located in the Märkisch-Oderland district near the German-Polish border. This center, planned to house foreigners without residency prospects, has been met with criticism by the Refugee Council. The debate surrounding the center's operation and the German Press Agency has highlighted the need for further discussion and consideration of the impact on migration and integration in Brandenburg.
