North Rhine-Westphalia has taken a concrete step toward establishing a second deportation prison. The state's construction and real estate agency, Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb (BLB), confirmed on 22 July 2026 that a purchase contract had been signed with the federal government for the required land. The site is part of the former JHQ military base in Mönchengladbach, a sprawling area that once served as a NATO headquarters. A BLB spokesperson told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that the deal secures the footprint needed for the planned facility, officially termed an Unterbringungseinrichtung für Ausreisepflichtige (UfA).
The agreement follows a short period of uncertainty. The federal government had been considering whether to reclaim parts of the former NATO site for renewed military use. That possibility raised questions about the availability of the land for the state's project. However, NRW requires only a portion of the vast JHQ grounds, leaving the remainder potentially available for other purposes. The purchase contract resolves the immediate conflict, allowing planning to proceed on the designated parcel.
The UfA is designed to hold individuals who are legally required to leave Germany but have not yet departed. It will be the second such facility in North Rhine-Westphalia, supplementing existing capacity. The state has not yet disclosed the planned number of places or the construction timeline. The BLB spokesperson noted that the project is still in an early phase, with several administrative and planning steps ahead.
Despite the land deal, construction cannot begin immediately. The BLB indicated that further approvals, detailed architectural planning, and possibly public consultation are still required. The former military site may also need infrastructure upgrades before building can start. No date has been set for the groundbreaking, and the state has not released cost estimates. The next milestones will involve securing building permits and finalising the design of the detention centre.
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North Rhine-Westphalia has moved closer to building a second deportation prison after signing a purchase contract for land on a former NATO base in Mönchengladbach, though construction still faces obstacles.
AI text based on reports by DIE WELT and Süddeutsche Zeitung. Published .