Hamburg More Effective in Returning Asylum Seekers Under Dublin Regulation

On February 28, 2026, German media, citing data from the Hamburg Office for Migration and Refugees, reported a significant improvement in the effectiveness of so-called Dublin transfers of asylum seekers from the city. The data shows a jump from 36.5% in 2023 to 68.7% in 2025. In practice, this means that last year Hamburg successfully returned 1,153 individuals to other European Union countries which, according to the Dublin Regulation, are responsible for examining their protection applications. Thus, the city has become one of the most effective centers in Germany in terms of enforcing these controversial regulations. At the same time, authorities disclosed a less optimistic fact: 81 individuals placed in the Hamburg Dublin center „left the accommodation facility with an unknown place of residence”. These individuals most likely decided to engage in further illegal migration within the EU to avoid being returned to the country that – often due to their first entry – would be responsible for them. This phenomenon illustrates one of the fundamental weaknesses of the entire system: lengthy procedures and the lack of effective mechanisms to detain individuals who do not wish to participate in them. The Dublin Regulation, whose roots date back to 1990, has been amended multiple times (Dublin II, Dublin III) in response to criticism. The main accusation concerned the uneven burden on EU border countries, such as Greece or Italy, and bureaucratic, often ineffective procedures. In practice, for years many transfer attempts ended in failure due to formal errors, objections from destination countries, or the inability to prove the migration route, leading to a de facto suspension of the system. Experts and officials, whose opinions are cited by the media, point to several key factors for improvement in Hamburg. These include hiring additional staff, better cooperation and faster information exchange with other EU countries, and the digitalization of processes. An important element was also the introduction of detailed checklists that help in quicker identification of individuals subject to the Dublin procedure. „„Wichtig ist, dass wir schnell und umfassend Identität und Weg klären. Je schneller wir das tun, desto größer ist die Chance auf eine erfolgreiche Überstellung.”” — Nils Seidel, spokesperson for the Hamburg Office for Migration and Refugees Despite these local successes, nationwide indicators remain lower. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) reported that in 2025, 47.3% of transfers were successfully carried out, which still constitutes an increase compared to 36% the previous year. This data shows that Hamburg is ahead of the national average, perhaps due to a particular focus on this aspect of migration policy. The topic of Dublin transfers remains one of the most politically sensitive areas in the European Union, where calls for effective migration control clash with criticism of inequality and human rights.