Report from Refugees Emancipation e.V. 

At the end of February 2022, Eben Chu from Refugees Emancipation e.V. got reports from Flüchtlingsrat and individual persons that People of Color were being pulled off the trains passing the border from Poland to Germany. Hence, we went to Frankfurt Oder to get a full picture of the reported situation. There were many police people at the train station, going into the trains. We asked one policeman what their task was. He said: “The police checks all passengers and takes out the illegally passing people”.

The government of the Federal of Germany stated that all people fleeing from the war in the Ukraine are welcome to come to Germany and may freely enter as well as access support, so why does the police then make a distinction within the people fleeing the Ukraine? This particular action of the police seems to have racist motives.

We wanted to know where the people were taken by the police. We were told that the people were taken to the basement of the respective train station building. We got to know that they were searched in the basement. Some even had their clothes ripped away aggressively. We were not allowed access to that area to get a clear picture. We were told that after the first screening the people would be taken to Markendorf (Outskirts of Frankfurt Oder). We went to Markendorf, there were huge buildings (they were built when there was the expectation of an influx of people from Belarus). Surrounding the building there were a lot of border police. We wanted to know what was happening there. The officers said: “The personal data will be taken and the people can then leave again”.

200 meter further we saw another building where in front of it were many People of Color. We approached a person, who told us that he has been in this camp for 10 days. The people do not know why they are held in that place, they do not know what will happen to them or what their rights are. They do not get any information or any support. They just get a lot of pressure and fear because the border police is telling them that they are illegal. They take their data, all their body details are noted, they have to give their fingerprints, get their bodies measured, get searched for personal features, like moles, tattoos etc., and even have to get naked.

Many people were living since a long time in Ukraine as their new home – working, studying, contributing to the society. When reaching Germany suddenly they were kept in a place like a prison, surrounded by many police people, treating them like criminals. They had no idea about their rights and no wass reachable who can provide support or information. The whole administrational body used this situation to push the refugees to a certain direction – asylum.

Summarizing the above described situation demonstrates that the external communication of the Federal Republic of Germany, emphasizing fleeing people from Ukraine can freely move into the country and receive help in a friendly manner, does not apply to People of Color fleeing from the Ukraine. The official regulations state that people from the Ukraine are allowed to enter German territory, however, the police stated that they are keeping them (People of Color) because they have entered Germany illegally.

On 15 March 2022, one week after our first visit we came back to Markendorf and offered 15 people who were allowed to leave the camp to come to Potsdam. In Potsdam we ensured humanitarian and legal support.

Everybody got a host family to stay in Potsdam and we organized a German A1 course. Meanwhile a lot of political work happened. We had communication with the head of the foreign office Mr. Meier and he agreed that it is possible to give the people a residence permit of a year if they take part in a  federal voluntary service. So we as an association could offer the 15 people a federal voluntary service to secure their stay. In that time they have the chance to learn German and figure out how they can continue their lives in that new place.

Meanwhile the Volkshochschule agreed to offer a German language course for the group  and the very best – the foreign office then gave two years residence permits to all the people.

Many third-country nationals applied for asylum when they reached Germany, because they got told so. It is very likely that their asylum request gets denied, because their home country is considered a safe country of origin – the discussion of which countries are considered safe and which not, needs an own article.

So if someone applied for asylum, you still have the right to withdraw your asylum application!

If you can show a reason why you should stay in Germany, like for studying purpose, federal voluntary service or something similar you can even get a residence permit according to § 24 residency law, if you can prove that you lived in the Ukraine.

We call for the other refugee organizations to go to the camps to inform and support people who fled the Ukraine.