Closing the arrival center in Meßstetten: What kind of refugees?

Closing the arrival center in Meßstetten: What kind of refugees?

The Ukraine arrival center in Meßstetten finally closed its doors on September 30, 2024. This marks the end of an era in which the center acted as an important point of contact for Ukrainian refugees. Finally, 33 people were still housed there, while 37 others had already moved out of the facility on September 25th.

01. October 2024 at 11:04 a.m. Meßstetten/Zollernalbkreis

The dismantling of the Ukraine arrival center in Meßstetten.

Steffen Maier

The last few months in the center were shaped by an active and humanitarian approach. District Administrator Günther-Martin Pauli emphasizes that the arrival center acted as an efficient tool for controlling immigration from Ukraine and it is important to find alternative ways to quickly integrate the incoming refugees into the labor market.

The admission of refugees in Meßstetten officially ended on September 13, 2024. Since this date, no new people have been received, which resulted in a direct decline in the company in the center. Instead, the remaining residents could be assigned to other counties in the state in order to ensure a fair distribution.

The further procedure for Ukrainian refugees

With the closure of the center, it has become crucial how the allocation of the Ukrainian refugees in the region continues. After the refugee recording law (Flüag), the refugees in Germany are granted protection for humanitarian reasons. A initial reception is not always necessary, which means that many can be conveyed directly to the responsible city or counties.

In this transition phase, the country has taken responsibility to ensure that help is also provided outside of office hours. This means that refugees who are forwarded to other federal states are temporarily accommodated in corresponding facilities until they can be found or assigned to fixed living space or otherwise assigned.

Dismantling and consequences of closure

After moving out of the last residents, the dismantling of the facility began. A few weeks ago, steps were made in the premises that are no longer used to remove the inventory and prepare the buildings to be put back in a neutral state. Employees of the regional council and the Zollernalb district work hand in hand here, supported by service providers to ensure this process.

It is important that the closure is communicated efficiently so that other refugees do not travel to the former arrival center in vain. Notices and other information measures were taken to ensure that the relevant information reaches the refugees. It is assumed that they are spread through personal networks of refugees.

for the provisional accommodation of Ukrainian refugees are currently available to the Zollernalbkreis sufficient capacities. These also include new properties, such as the former surveying office in Balingen. This creates a new way to give the incoming people a perspective while taking care of their next steps.

In addition, the country has taken measures to change the contact point for the initial reception in Baden-Württemberg. This is done in response to the changed Situation and the increasing need for coordinated support for the incoming refugees.