Preliminary figures released reveal a significant decline in cases of sanctuary granted by churches in Germany this year, a trend coinciding with a broader reduction in asylum applications. According to data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), between January and the end of November, 2,139 individuals received sanctuary in churches, a considerable drop from the 2,966 recorded for the entirety of 2023.
A BAMF spokesperson attributed the decrease to the overall reduction in the number of individuals seeking protection in Germany. This contrasts sharply with the previous four years, during which the number of church asylum cases steadily rose. The procedure requires churches providing sanctuary to immediately report the case and submit a dossier to the BAMF within a month. If rejected, the individual is legally obligated to leave the premises within three days – a provision rarely enforced.
The vast majority of those seeking refuge in churches are involved in so-called Dublin cases, individuals for whom another EU member state is legally responsible. This year’s decline mirrored that pattern, with sanctuary primarily preventing transfers to countries like Bulgaria, Croatia and Poland.
Dieter Müller, Deputy Chairman of the Ecumenical Federal Working Group for Asylum in the Church, directly linked the downturn in church asylum cases to the German government’s increased border rejections. He argues that the authorities are now largely preventing entry to individuals already registered as asylum applicants in another EU nation. “The BAMF has demonstrably been dealing with considerably fewer Dublin cases recently, due to these, in our view, European law-infringing border measures” Müller stated. He cited BAMF statistics showing a sharp reduction in Germany’s requests to other EU nations to take over asylum cases – dropping to approximately half the number recorded in the same period last year, at 33,845 by November.
This decline raises critical questions about the effectiveness and legality of Germany’s border policies and their indirect impact on the ability of vulnerable individuals to access legal protections and sanctuary within the country. The decreased demand on churches, while seemingly positive on the surface, may be indicative of a systematic reduction in access to asylum procedures and the potential violation of fundamental rights. The long-term consequences of these measures and their implications for Germany’s commitment to international law remain a subject of ongoing debate.
