Rhineland-Palatinate restructures asylum reception centres after Bundeswehr reclaims sites in Kusel and Speyer

Facilities vacated for Bundeswehr use

Rhineland-Palatinate's new Interior and Integration Minister Achim Schwickert (CDU) announced a fundamental restructuring of the state's asylum reception centres, known as Afas, in an interview with the Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Mainz. The facility in Kusel has already been vacated at the request of the Bundeswehr, and Speyer faces a demand to be vacated by the end of 2026. Both cities have a strong interest in returning to Bundeswehr use, Schwickert said.

The Afas are facing a fundamental turning point.

Green party faction leader Katrin Eder criticised the development, saying the Bundeswehr's site planning was putting the initial reception system under pressure.

A restructuring of the AfA places is now needed.

She called on the state government to translate the restructuring into a transparent and robust site and capacity concept.

Capacity losses and relocation

Of the 5,000 places across the Afas, approximately half are currently occupied, according to Schwickert. Residents from Kusel and those still housed in Speyer can be accommodated in the remaining facilities. A rented site in Bitburg is currently undergoing construction to meet fire safety requirements. Two small backup quarters are also set to close by the end of the year. In total, the three site closures amount to a loss of approximately 2,000 places.

Search for new capacity

Schwickert said current intake numbers mean the losses are not an immediate problem, but the goal is to rebuild sufficient reserve capacity.

With current intake numbers, that's not a problem. The goal is to create sufficient reserve capacity again.

The ministry is considering whether to expand existing facilities or upgrade emergency places into regular residential places, specifically at the sites in Hermeskeil and at Hahn airport. A new site may also be needed, though no decision has been made and the matter is tied to the preparation of the 2027/28 double budget.

I would like to have a target of 5,000 places again, so that we don't, if refugee numbers increase somewhat again, immediately have to distribute everyone to the municipalities and cannot centrally control who has come to us and who has what health problems.

He also noted that if numbers do not continue to rise, the state could manage with fewer places, and that it would be sensible to ensure infrastructure and technical capacity are in place to deploy containers as needed.

Centralised returns

Asylum seekers without prospects of remaining in Germany are intended to be deported directly from initial reception rather than being distributed to municipalities. Schwickert said returns should in future be organised more centrally by the state. The state funds approximately 80 positions for this central task among municipal employees, but cities and towns face staffing pressure and could deploy those employees elsewhere. Rather than creating a new state authority, Schwickert proposed assigning the task to the Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion in Trier, which already has relevant experience. Eder called for support for Trier in this context, in cooperation with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.